Md Bayazid Khan :
Like other countries in the world, Bangladesh has been passing the most critical time because of coronavirus for the last few months. Coronavirus is the most criticized issue nowadays for its notoriety of bringing agony, panic, crisis and mournful deaths in human lives. Stalemate caused by dreadful coronavirus enabled everybody all around the world to realize with a violent jolt that weapons, money, power etc are totally immaterial to the invisible power of nature for human beings’ safe survival. Unhealthy competition for earning money, leading luxurious life, establishing economic and military power etcetera literally destroyed morality that tends to compel nature taking sweet retaliation to people’s safe existence to nature by bringing pandemic or epidemic. World community may think that everything will remain fine immediately after finishing the aggression of coronavirus. But we are thinking wrong as the end of corona’s contamination may be the beginning of facing the harmful aftermath of the pandemic.
Bangladesh was in the road to visible progress in almost all sectors of economy with the striving efforts of people and the government. But like other countries in the world, Bangladesh has to face bitter music of recession and other related dreadful adverse effects on the economy due to coronavirus. Economic activities remain closed down as public & private offices, industries, trade & commerce, communication, transportation and other revenue earning activities such as manpower export, readymade garments export, operation of tourism and related hotel & restaurant business etc shutdown for the last 14 days and will continue till April 25. These results a significant fall down in income generation and cut down in employment of the country.
The economy has already started feeling the pinch of coronavirus that compelled everyone to stay at home as well as to jeopardize smooth movement of economic activities in all sectors. Industrial production, remittance, investment, employment and other indices are going through a static situation. A great challenge is coming ahead for Bangladesh. The important pillars of our economy include export of readymade garments and human resources to different countries. There must be a global fall in the demand of garment products and human resources. Foreign buyers have so far cancelled purchase orders of readymade garments worth 2.91 billion US dollars. This will lead a cut down in production and closure of factories that might compel employers to reduce employees. As a negative consequence of coronavirus, manpower exporting countries’ economies might slow down and hence demands for foreign workers may fall. Moreover, workers working in abroad may lose their jobs and as a result remittance may fall down significantly. In addition, negative impact on employment may be experienced on the domestic tourism and aviation sector. Beside, employees in industries, SME, trade & commerce etc may be cut off.
As Bangladesh is going through its best phase of development in all indices, the impact will be serious. Moreover, the government is running massive relief activities among people who live from hand to mouth beside continuing social security network programmes. And the government inevitability needs to continue these welfare oriented programs for the sake of poverty stricken and poor people’s livelihood. On the other hand, the government has obligatory responsibility to run the development works of the partially completed mega projects avoiding huge monetary loss of postponing or closing the projects.
So, the government needs money keeping income generating economic activities moving smoothly. Continuation of income generation amidst worldwide existing agony, panic and economic crisis needs to focus on continuing agricultural & industrial production keeping existing workforces remain same and keeping vibrant to existing momentum of export. In addition, speedy but hazard free actions to be taken immediately after the crisis ended for revenue collection (tax, VAT etc).
As a negative consequence of the pandemic worldwide, recession may appear and Bangladesh has no exception. So, the government may emphasize on following activities for keeping country’s economy active as coronavirus aftermath may not be harmful to people’s livelihood and country’s overall economy.
World community may confront to acute food crisis due to hampers in agricultural and agro based industrial production. Bangladesh may utilise the opportunity as the country has fertile lands, cultivable friendly climate and last but not the least hard working farmers & labourers to increase production. At present rice are begin to ripens in the field or at the fag end of cutting and winter vegetables production is just to finish. So, there is the opportunity of taking preparation to harvest Boro paddy and summer vegetables and fruits. So, farmers are to be motivated with providing incentives to start production immediately. Regarding this farmers need to make sure the availability of subsidy supported seeds, insecticides, agro machineries etc. Beside, households need to inspire to plant vegetables and fruits at the premises or roof of houses. During forthcoming monsoon haors, low lying areas, fallow marshlands, tanks, canals and even rivers might be brought under modern day integrated fish and duck farming with providing of incentives or logistic supports from government. Considering massive havoc caused by natural calamities such as cyclones, floods due to torrential rain in monsoon etc that may hit in the upcoming months, the government may take early measures to save farmers from damaging hardly earned production. Excessive production must fulfill domestic demands and may create access to import agro based food items. Friendly diplomatic communication through food diplomacy may create country’s logical and realistic bargain on humanitarian perspective to remain Bangladeshi expatriate workers in their respective jobs as well as to continue the existing extents of exports in human resource, medicine etc. Honorable Prime Minister has acceptability, respectability and good rapport to world leaders that may utilize to establish effective diplomatic communication regarding execution to aforesaid issues.
Pharmaceutical factories may encourage to increase qualitative production so that after meeting local demands residual medicines may be imported as it is one of the vital basic needs in human life all over the world. Government should take necessary steps to import complicacy free medicine ingredients by owners.
Readymade garments industries are labour intensive export oriented industries. These should be run in full swing immediately after completion of contamination of coronavirus for the sake of continuing earnings of large numbers of labourers as well as ensuring of country’s massive revenue collection. Diplomatic intellectualism can ensure of survival of readymade garments factories along with its workers’ future fate. Immediate starts of production in other industries not only alleviate workers’ sufferings but also keep wheels of economy moving.
By any means programs under social security network and development works of ongoing mega projects may be run actively as this certainly may help economy of the country to move actively.
Before aforesaid initiatives to be taken, at first peoples badly need to save themselves and then save others from corona’s contamination abiding by honorable PM’s 31 instructions rigorously.
(Md Bayazid Khan works for primary education, email: auparbayaziakhan@ gmail.com)
