The New Nation - Internet Edition

Syful Islam

The Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) Tuesday kicked-off third phase of field survey of a study for formulation of action programmes and master plan to propose comprehensive and concrete plan for export diversification in Bangladesh.

JICA earlier identified jute products and computer software as two most potential sub-sectors out of six potential sub-sectors it selected under a study titled "potential sub-sector growth for export diversification in Bangladesh". The other sectors include food processing, pharmaceuticals products, light engineering industry and, electric and electronic products.

Under the third phase of study JICA team will work for production process improvement of private jute mills in Bangladesh and to enhance export competitiveness of computer software products in the international markets. A pilot project will help four jute mills to strengthen international competitiveness by improving productivities and quality and the method will come into wide use in jute mills in the country.

Yasuo Takeuchi will lead the six-members JICA team for the third phase of survey. Other members of the team include Yasuo Uesugi, Naoya Nishigaki, Mamoru Yasui, Hirohumi Yahauchi and Mihoko Oikawa.

The kick-off meeting was held yesterday at the boardroom of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) with Joint Secretary of Ministry of Commerce Mustafa Mohiuddin in the chair. Representatives from EPB, ERD, FBCCI and JICA atended the meeting.

The JICA study revealed that Bangladesh has vast opportunity to diversify its export item and earn huge foreign currency through developing its computer software industry.

JICA will sit with all stakeholders at a day-long strategy workshop titled "problem analysis and pilot project formulation for computer software: most potential sub-sector for diversification of Bangladesh export" on June 25.

According to Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) software sector experienced over 100 per cent growth in the recent years. The present export volume is nearly US$29 million dollar.

However, despite a significant growth software sector in Bangladesh failed to make any good position in country's total export volume. According to the export promotion Bureau readymade garment sector has 74.16 per cent, frozen foods 4.86 per cent, Jute goods 3.55 per cent, leather 2.55 per cent and raw jute sector 1.1 per cent share of the total nearly US$ 11500 million.

Software exporters said lack of government investment and assistance hinders boosting of very much potential software sector.

Mostafa Jabbar, Managing Director of Ananda Multimedia, earlier told this correspondent that the government has no initiative to help develop the software industry. He said the government has declared the IT sector as thrust sector but there is no effort to boost the sector.

Referring to the budget of ICT Ministry's Tk 78 crore he said salary of the ministry employees alone is Tk 74 crore. How much it can invest to develop the sector?

He said during the last six years most of the Equity Entrepreneurs Fund (EEF) went to the pocket of political criminals. No actual businessmen got any single penny from the EEF, he said.

He further said the government earlier participated in two IT fairs abroad to expand market but recently stopped it How Bangladesh's software export can be expanded, he asked.