Proper planning for the tourism sector’s development has become imperative as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved by 2030 if tourism does not flourish in Bangladesh, said speakers at a meeting yesterday.

For the first time, home textile has emerged as the second largest export earning sector after garments as demand remains buoyant in major markets, particularly Europe, according to exporters. Exporters fetched $1.3 billion from shipping home textiles in the July-April period of the current fiscal year, posting 39 per cent year-on-year growth. Receipts from shipments of home textile items such as bed sheets, pillow covers, curtains and cushion covers were higher than export receipts from agricultural products as well as leather and leather goods during the period. Home textile exports were 28 per cent higher than its nearest peer, agricultural products, namely dry foods, vegetables, tobacco and spices. Jute and jute goods, which topped the export basket as the second biggest earning source in fiscal year 2020-21, fell to fifth place in the face of falling demand for jute yarn, twine, sacks and bags, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). “We have been registering increasing demand for home textiles from the last fiscal year as people stayed home as a part of coronavirus containment measures,” said Shahidullah Chowdhury, executive director of Noman Group, the main exporter of home textile. It exports $27 million worth of home textiles each month. “Our main markets are Europe, Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan. However, our exports are increasing in new markets such as Australia,” he added. The sector first crossed the $1 billion mark in fiscal 2020-21 thanks to a 49 per cent year-on-year hike in export earnings, driven mainly by higher costs and prices of raw cotton and other materials. Export earnings were only 3 per cent of the total receipts of $38.75 billion for that year with garments accounting for 81 per cent, according to the EPB. “Definitely the volume of exports has increased too,” said Abul Basar, general manager of human resource, admin and compliance of Momtex Expo Ltd, another major exporter. He said Bangladesh can offer competitive prices as labour costs here are the cheapest. Labour cost has increased in China, which once dominated the home textile market. Political uncertainty in Pakistan has also discouraged buyers from placing orders there, Bashar said. “So, the increased order flow is likely to sustain,” he added. Harun-Ar-Rashid, managing director of Apex Weaving and Finishing Mills Ltd, said nearly 10 textile mills export home textile products from Bangladesh and the export volume is not that high. Bangladesh only has a 7 per cent share in the global home textile export market. He went on to say that demand may decline due to a yarn shortage and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Noman Group’s Chowdhury said exports would grow if the government provides policy support. Increasing the cash incentive for exports to 10 per cent from the present 4 per cent and reducing congestion at ports will be instrumental for increasing export earnings from home textiles. “We have political stability now but what we need is policy stability,” he added.

The government is establishing 89 laboratories to develop Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) as a world-class institution, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun said today.

The construction work of Bscic Chemical Industrial Park in Munshiganj will be completed by December 2023 if everything goes according to plan, said Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun.

The ICT Division and the World Bank will work jointly to build ICT infrastructure in Bangladesh to take the economic development to the next stage, said Junaid Kamal Ahmad, a vice president of the World Bank.

Small and light engineering industries in Saidpur have helped the railway town emerge as a hub for producing valuable machinery and spare parts consumed by various sectors, thus cutting dependence on imports, saving foreign currencies and generating jobs for thousands.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been failing to achieve tax collection targets since the fiscal year of 2012-13 because of lofty goals set by the government and the absence of major reforms.

The government’s a2i programme is set to become a full-fledged agency, entering the software and digital innovations industry as a government-subsidised player, but creating uncertainty for local tech companies.

Global tourism is roaring back to life despite Covid travel headaches and the effects of the war in Ukraine, but it has yet to return to its pre-pandemic health.

Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh have pumped billions of dollars into the shipbuilding sector in recent years to meet their own demand for vessels as well as regain the international market.

Bangladesh emerged as a shipbuilding nation in 2008 when it exported its first ocean-going vessel to a Danish company and suddenly there were talks about the sector’s immense potential and the country capturing a major share of the global shipbuilding market.

The disasters like the Nimtoli tragedy and the Tazreen Fashion fire have been eye-openers for the government to take widespread measures immediately to ensure industrial safety, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun said today.

Twenty-six firms are going to get the “National Productivity and Quality Excellence Award 2020” as a recognition for their continuous improvement in productivity and quality.

The government will introduce a platform to help the global investors virtually operate their business in Bangladesh, said Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT.

The number of internet users in Bangladesh rose in March thanks to increased usage of both mobile data and broadband services for educational, entertainment and professional purposes amid the improving Covid-19 situation.

Import load containers have piled up at the Chattogram port as importers did not secure their consignments due to the Eid holidays when factories were closed and vehicular movement was thin.

RFL Group has set up its second bicycle manufacturing plant with the objective to secure a bigger slice of the Tk 1,800 crore domestic two-wheeler market, which is growing due to rising health consciousness and a quest for convenience in transportation.

The name “Sreemangal” makes the heart tremble, according to a man who came to visit the ever-popular tourist destination to enjoy the Eid holiday with his family.

Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited (MGMCL) has halted hard rock production since May 1 due to a lack of the explosives needed to extract the material from underground, according to company officials.

Hotels and resorts in tourist destinations across Bangladesh are enjoying brisk business thanks to the long holiday afforded by most industries in the current festival season centring Eid-ul-Fitr as they look to partially recover pandemic-induced losses.