Economic Reporter :
The government will set up three technology centres as part of a project on facilitating export diversification.
Two of those will be set up in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar in Chattogram’s Mirsarai area, and the third will be a hi-tech park in the Kaliakair area of Gazipur.
To this end, the commerce ministry on Tuesday inked a deal with the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) and the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority. Commerce Secretary Md Jafar Uddin presided over the programme.
As part of the Export Competitiveness for Jobs (EC4J) project, a design and technology centre will also be set up. The project involves export diversification of leather and leather goods, light engineering products, footwear, and plastic products.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi told the programme that export diversification should be emphasised to reduce dependency on apparel exports.
He said the project will ensure quality and diversification of products in line with customers’ demands.
“This will increase export earnings and create jobs.”
There have been discussions on export diversification for more than a decade, but the ultimate goal could not be realised. Readymade garment still accounts for 85 percent of the country’s total export earnings.
In recent years, the number of export products has increased but none of those could hit the $1 billion milestone in earnings. Officials said the six-year, $119 million EC4J project began in 2017.
The technology centres in Kaliakair and Mirsarai will be set up on 4.04 acres and 10 acres of land respectively. Diversification of plastic and light engineering products will be carried out there.
Meanwhile, officials are looking for land in Gazipur’s Kashimpur and Munshiganj areas to set up the third technology centre, and the design and technology centre. Those are for diversification of leather goods and footwear.
