The New Nation - Internet Edition

CHITTAGONG Office

Adviser for Commerce and Education Hossain Zillur Rahman here today called upon all to keep going on through a solution-centric way for a broader understanding in all spheres of national life to embark on next stage of development and progress.

"Political uncertainty in the past did not hold back our auto-piloted five per cent economic growth of the country. Now we have to work together to achieve a stable and sustainable political system to push the annual economic progress up to 10 per cent," the adviser said this while speaking as the chief guest at a seminar here today.

Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) organised the seminar on "BKMEA's initiative to meet global compliance requirement" on the occasion of opening the trade body's office in the port city.

FBCCCI president Annisul Haq, BKMEA president Md Fazlul Hoque, acting CCCI president Mahbubul Alam Talukder, deputy general manager of Bangladesh Bank, Chittagong, Nurul Alam, acting first vice-president of BGMEA, Ferdous Ahmed, 3rd vice- president of BKMEA, Zahidul Haq Bhuiyan, CCCI directors - Nasiruddin Chowdhury and Noor Mohammad, BKMEA member Shawkat Osman, among others, addressed the seminar.

Speaking on the occasion, Rahman said positive changes in our mindset was most significant among all important changes the country had experienced in its short span of journey.

"Bangladesh is not only able to find its room but consolidated its position in a competitive global market by efficiency and capacity not depending on any one's mercy and favour," he said.

Referring to Bangladesh's position in the just-ended WTO talks in Geneva, the adviser said, majority of the LDCs considered Bangladesh as future economic giant in the global market and added that when most of the LDCs were pleading for favour from the developed world, Bangladesh was fighting boldly for establishing its due right and reasonable share.

He said the government has been working to strengthen capacity building of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the Board of Investment (BoI) so that it could match effectively with the changing pattern of the economy particularly in capturing external market and absorbing the big foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals.

He called upon the FBCCI, BGMEA, and BKMEA to take initiative to distribute essential commodities to their workers at cheaper prices during the upcoming month of Ramadan and added that such gesture would help brighten the already questionable images of the business community.

In this context, he said the government is going to launch the OMS of rice for at least two months from August 15 with an allocation of one lakh tonne per month.

Hossain Zillur also assured the BKMEA of government support for preparing workers database by providing required numbers of computer and other logistics that already were used for preparing national ID card and voter list.

FBCCI President Annisul Haq said the country's garments and textile sector would survive strongly even in this stiff competitive market if we could be able to ensure a sustainable productivity growth at a rate of 10 to 15 per cent per year by cashing the advantages arising out of changing trend of China where labour costs are rapidly increasing.

He said local entrepreneurs must address compliance issue but the government should solve standing problems of gas, power, high bank interest and service charges and price inflation for healthy survival of the sector.

Later, Dr Hossain Rahman formally opened the local office of BKMEA located at 4th floor of CCCI building in the city's Agrabad Commercial Area.