Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) has placed 5-point demand including withdrawing the bank guarantee, fixing up 3 per cent tax on local industry instead of 7 per cent and building up a plastic industrial city.
The demands came when a delegation of BPGMEA, lead by its president Md Jashim Uddin met the Minister for Industries Dilip Barua at Motijheel Shilpa Bhaban in the capital on Sunday.
“Bangladesh earns about Tk 1800 crore by exporting plastic goods every year after fulfilling the domestic demand while plastic goods worth about Tk 4000 crore are produced and marketed locally,” BPGMEA president Jashim Uddin said.
Referring to demand, BPGMEA General Secr-etary Shamim Ahmed said withdrawal of 100 percent bank guarantee is necessary for smooth running of the plastic industries.
“Plastic industries where about five lakh people are employed have immense potentiality,” Shamim Ahmed said.
He said at present only 20 per cent of the potentiality of the country’s plastic industries is being used. The domestic demand of plastic products was 5.40 tons in 2006 and the demand is growing at an annual rate of 20 per cent.
The minister Dilip Barua assured BPGMEA leaders of extending all possible cooperation to solve problems. “To build up ‘Digital Bangladesh’ within the stipulated time frame 2021, you should produce quality products and contribute much to the national economy,” Barua said adding, “Government will set up Plastic Industrial city soon.”
According to the BPMEA, there are 2,997 plastic factories in the country, of which 52 are large scale, 980 medium and 1,965 small. Of the total plastic industries, 381 are hundred percent export-oriented. Among the plastic industries, 65 per cent are Dhaka-based while 20 per cent in Chittagong, 10 per cent in Narayanganj and five per cent are in Khulna, Comilla, Bogra and Rajshahi.
With the growth of plastic manufacturing sector, plastic industries have been successfully exporting plastic products to the developed countries.
Bangladesh exports plastic items to Italy, New Zealand, Poland, China, UK, Belgium, France, Germany, USA, Canada, Spain, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and other countries.
The use of plastic products is growing with the development of the country. Volume of plastic wastes is also increasing. At least, 60 per cent of plastic wastes are being recycled in the country that save about 400 million US dollar per year cutting im-port of raw materials.
The BPGMEA sources said Bangladesh is now exporting plastic shopping bags, garbage bags, butcher bags, oven sacks, industrial films, PVC pipes, polythene sheet, plastic hanger, hand gloves, ropes, plastic waste, toys, electronic switches, computer accessories, video/audio cassette, melamine tableware, toothbrush, ball-pen and artificial flowers.
Plastic products are popularly used as household items, tableware, kitchen ware, office equipment, toiletries, packaging, building materials, engineering parts, industrial equipment, agricultural product, poultry and fishing, automobile and cycle parts, electronics, textiles articles and musical products.
Courtesy: thebangladeshtoday.com
