DT e-Paper 21 March 2017

Business 11
DT
TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017
BD seeks cooperation from France,
Canada to boost tourism industry
• Ishtiaq Husain
Bangladesh has sought technical
support from Canada and France to
boost tourism, an emerging sector
to add to revenues.
Though the country has huge
potential and hundreds of tourism
products to attract tourists, it fails
to tap that due to lack of marketing
promotion, product development,
destination management and
skilled human resources.
Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh
Tourism Board Dr Mohammad
Nasir Uddin said this at a
round-table meeting on tourism
held at Rose Garden, a listed heritage
property, in Dhaka.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister
Rashed Khan Menon was present
at the event as the chief guest.
French Ambassador in Dhaka,
Efforts to cut BD-
Thai trade gap
• Syed Zainul Abedin
Bangladeshi and Thai business
groups are mulling over narrowing
down around $600 million trade
gap between the two countries.
The trade between Bangladesh
and Thailand was close to $800
million last year, with exports from
Thailand worth $700 million, accounting
for more than 90% of the
total trade volume.
President of Bangladesh-Thai
Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Sajjatuz Jumma told this at a
press conference on Thailand Week
2017 yesterday morning.
In a bid to create a potential
market for the Bangladeshi products
in Thailand, Bangladesh is
organising Bangladesh Trade and
Investment Expo in Thailand every
year, Jumma said.
The joint trade committee is
also working on it, he added.
Bangladesh wants to place a
fresh list of products to the upcoming
meeting to seek duty- and quota-free
(DFQF) facility from Thailand,
Jumma said, adding that the
huge trade gap between the two
countries will be reduced.
Currently, Bangladesh exports
only 10 products to Thailand with
DFQF facility. Minister Counsellor
(Commercial) of Thai Embassy in
Dhaka Suebsak Dangboonrueng
said: “We have asked our investors to
invest in Bangladesh as the business
atmosphere in the country is favourable
and growing up gradually.”
Thai government and Thai embassy
in Dhaka are jointly organising
Thailand Week on March 22-25
in Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel. •
Sophie Aubert, and Canadian High
Commissioner Benoît-Pierre Laramée,
also spoke at the disscussion
meeting while Abu Sufian, editor,
Travel Magazine, ‘Vromon’ conducted
the session.
In his address, Menon said Rose
Garden is a part of history. The
ruling party held its first major inaugural
meeting in this very room
while Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
was present with many other dignitaries.
“We started our journey in tourism
sector very late. Bangladesh
has so many tourist products.
Though we could not bring more
foreign tourists, domestic tourism
grew rapidly,” said the minister.
“I will invite you (France and
Canada) to visit Bangladesh as a
second destination after India. Our
tourism is at the beginning stage,
so we need technical support in
this sector.”
In her address, French Ambassador
Sophie Aubert appreciated
Bangladesh’s beauty that she has
observed by visiting various places
over the last couple of years.
“I have toured many places in
Bangladesh including Cox’s Bazaar,
which has a lot of hotel facilities
and is very easy to go there. It is a
pleasant tourist spot”
Mentioning her visit to a historical
archaeological town called Panam,
she said it was very interesting
to see and visit the major townships
of historic administrative,
commercial and maritime centre
in Bengal at Sonargaon near Dhaka.
The French envoy said at first
she visited the National Museum at
Shahbagh after being appointed as
ambassador.
“We will work together in tourism
sector so Bangladesh can promote
its tourist products as a brand
outside the country,” said Sophie.
To narrate his personal experience,
Canadian High Commissioner
in Bangladesh Benoît-Pierre
Laramée said Bangladesh has 11th
and 12th century Buddhist temple
which is fascinating to him as a
traveller.
“I travelled Barisal and island
district Bhola where green scenery
and farming attract me. All are the
arts of Bangladesh. Many things
here make me happy, specially
hospitality. People’s smiling face is
really very much different.”
Benoît-Pierre assured Bangladesh
of giving continued support
in tourism sector as a development
partner. •
StrayBird, the literary and cultural forum of the Department of English of Stamford University Bangladesh celebrated its 12 th
anniversary recently
SME Customers of BRAC Bank Limited received insurance claim cheque from Green Delta Insurance Company Limited. The
shops of the nine SME customers were damaged by the fire at Gulshan DCC Market in January, 2017. Mr. Selim R. F. Hussain,
Managing Director & CEO, Mr. Md. Abdul Kader Joaddar, Deputy Managing Director & CFO, Mr. Syed Abdul Momen, Acting
Head of SME Banking, BRAC Bank Limited, Mr. Nasir A. Choudhury, Advisor, and Farzana Chowdhury, Managing Director,
Green Delta Insurance Company, were present at the cheque handover ceremony
RMG accessories
makers for dutyfree
import of
fire proof paint
• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi
The garment accessories manufacturers
have called upon the government
to allow duty-free import
of per-fabricated building material
under bonded facility in the next
budget to ensure workplace safety.
Bangladesh Garments Accessories
and Packaging Manufacturers
and Exporters Association (BGAP-
MEA) made the call in its budget
proposal for the fiscal year 2017-
18 placed to the National Board of
Revenue (NBR).
The NBR will hold pre-budget
talks with stakeholders of RMG accessories
and others on April 06.
“Manufacturers of garment accessories
are facing pressure from
global retailers in making factory
safe. Now a good number of pre-fabricated
buildings need to be painted
with fire-proof quoted paint,”
BGAPMEA president Md Abdul Kader
Khan told the Dhaka Tribune.
Though the government allowed
duty-free import of fabricated
building material, it did not
provide tax exemption, said Kader.
“So we urge the government to
allow duty-free import of paint under
bonded facility.”
The BGAPMEA leader also demanded
duty-free fire resistance
door, sprinkler system and equipment
and emergency light with exit
sign to help ensure compliance.
The trade body of accessories
called upon the government to
bring down tax at source to 0.5%
from the existing 0.70%. It also
called for reduction in corporate
tax to 15% from existing 35% as the
cost of doing business went up due
to expenses on safety upgradation.
Expenditure like wages and
transport fare increased substantially
in recent days. So, the government
should keep the rate of tax
at source at a reasonable level, according
to the proposal, said Kader.
In the proposal, BGAPMEA
placed a set of demands including
cash incentives against export and
declaring the factory premises as
bonded area.
The manufacturers said although
the sector is meeting the
local demand for garment accessories,
they are yet to get any incentive
from the government.
Export-oriented industries like
apparel get such facilities, but the
accessories makers do not get any,
which are necessary for the development
of the sector.
According to the proposal, BGAP-
MEA has taken initiative to set up a
garment accessories and packaging
institute for the development of
industry by carrying out research,
and so sought allocation from the
government in the next budget. •