Fashion entrepreneurs assoc launched
The country’s fashion industry should get the government policy support as a priority sector to contribute to the economy in an organised manner, said the fashion house owners at the launching of the Fashion Entrepreneurs Association of Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday.
They said the FEBA would be the core representative body of the fashion industry people to bargain various industry-related issues with the government.
At present there are 4,500 fashion houses in the country with a yearly turnover of Tk 6,000 crore, they said.
The uncontrolled showroom rents, high prices of raw materials, inflexible loans and other policy issues need to be addressed for the betterment of the industry, they said.
‘Besides the networking of the fashion industry people, we will place different valid demand to government as now this industry needs to pick pace,’ FEBA president Azaharul Haque Azad said in his speech.
He said the government should bring the fashion industry under a ministry and count it as a priority sector.
FEBA convener Munira Emdad said the showroom rents were skyrocketing as there was no strict policy in this regard.
‘As a result we are suffering and such issues should be resolved with the help of the government,’ she said.
FEBA vice-president Ashrafur Rahman said the prices of the local fashion products were going up because of high production cost.
‘So we are losing competitiveness to the neighbouring countries as those countries are pushing their low-cost products to our market,’ he said.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Md Atiqul Islam and Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs president Rokia Afzal Rahman said that some fashion outlets were selling Indian products which hit the local industry.
‘I have seen long queue of cars in front of some fashion outlets at Gulshan which sell Indian products,’ said Atiq.
‘I would like to draw attention of the FEBA on this matter as those Indian products are hurting our own industry,’ said Rokia.
Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, who was present as chief guest, said such initiative was very helpful when the country was going forward.
‘Such industry and its efforts are appreciable. We are working on the tax-related issues and VAT issue will be more accurate by 2015,’ he said.
Muhith said the government was looking forward to achieve $75-billion export earning by next five years. ‘We are also formulating the budget according to the five-year plan,’ he said.
-With New Age input
