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‘Matching Grant Facilities’ will help exporters |
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September 15, 2000
Dhaka (UNB) – Business leaders yesterday stressed expansion and diversification of the country’s limited export base through optimum utilisation of the funds of the donor-aided Matching Grant Facilities. “The local exporters should strive for making the best utilization of the opportunity,” said MGF Governing Board Chairman Yussuf Abdullah Harun, also the president-elect of FBCCI. Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) organised the roundtable on “Matching Grant Facilities” at its auditorium in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce. Harun said the objective of the MGF project is to help the local exporters in various aspects of their activities, which is a unique opportunity for them to avail. DCCI being the most powerful private-sector platform should take the opportunity in building its capacity to enhance its role as the service provider to the exporter, he suggested. “We have no alternative to expanding and diversifying export for the sustenance and growth of industrial sector in the globalised market,” Commerce secretary Ghulam Rahman said. He observed that the domestic market is limited by the low purchasing power while there remained ever-increasing purchasing power on the foreign markets, which have to be explored through competitiveness and quality. MGF deputy programme manager Mubassar Housain presented the main feature of MGF project and procedures of availing of the facilities. In his welcome address, DCCI president Aftab ul Islam said Bangladesh has been pursuing export-led growth strategy placing export-oriented private sector initiative at the centre of its productive activities. In spite of all its efforts, the country’s export base is still very limited, depending only on three to four items. He said high risk is involved in the RMG sector, the main export-earning sector, due to its dependence on limited buyers for limited items. “This implies that any adverse changes in the external markets may seriously disrupt the export earnings of the country.” He stressed the need for exploring new markets for the existing goods and services as well as to increase the export items through diversification. The DCCI president informed the meeting that his chamber had submitted a project proposal to MGF for building capacity of the organisation to provide services to the local exporters. |