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Although Bangladesh is capable of building 175-metre-long ships, sales orders are very low at present and they need to go up, stakeholders have said.
Moreover, it is very difficult for businesses to pay the bank loan interest at the rate of 14-16 per cent. So, various facilities including bank loans at low interest need to be increased to increase ship exports, they said.
Speakers made the observations at a workshop held at the Bangabandhu Conference Hall of the World Trade Center Chittagong in the port city’s Agrabad area on March 16.
The workshop on a survey of the prospects and problems of Bangladesh’s shipbuilding industry was organised by Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).
Presided over by Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) Director Anjan Shekhar Das, the workshop was attended by BIDA Executive Member (Marketing and Communication) Md Matiur Rahman as chief guest and BIDA Directors (Investment Research and Economic Observatory) Suman Chowdhury and Mohammed Moazzam Hossain as special guests.
Several former CCCI directors and representatives of the shipbuilding industry were also present at the event, where the participants discussed the prospects of shipbuilding and other related institutions; problems in procurement of raw materials, marketing and export; the volume of domestic and foreign demand; obstacles and necessary measures.
BIDA’s Matiur said that a proposal for a separate zone for the shipbuilding industry is currently under consideration and they are working on increasing ship exports from Bangladesh to compete with China, Vietnam and India.
