Plastic industry entrepreneurs call for harassment free business

Entrepreneurs from the plastic sector demanded a harassment free business environment caused by the visit of the government agencies. 

They made this call at the first meeting of the FBCCI standing committee on Plastic, Rubber, Melamine and PVC Products held at FBCCI on Monday. 

Speakers said government agencies have not been renewing licenses of plastic products manufacturing factories since the fire incidents at Churihatta in the capital. 

As the factories are losing their legal validity, government organisations do fine and sometimes even file cases against the factory owners. Therefore, many small and medium industries have been shut off, the businessmen added. 

The businessmen informed that the government declared plastic village has not come into light, leaving the entrepreneurs with no choice of relocating their factories. 

Therefore, the businessmen called for renewing licenses till the plastic village sets up. 

Speaking as the chief guest, FBCCI Senior Vice President Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu said that plastic industry contributes to employment, export earnings and industry decentralization across the country. 

Mentioning the prediction of global recession in 2023, he stressed on expanding the export base to deal with the crisis. 

In this note, he urged to harness the untapped potentials of the plastic sector. 

Vice President Md Amin Helaly informed that FBCCI is planning to arrange three fairs in Kolkata, Guwahati and Tripura to showcase Bangladeshi products. 

He suggested exhibiting the plastic products in those fairs. 

Bangladeshi plastic products have great demand in seven sisters of India, he further informed.  

Committee chairman and President of BPGMEA Shamim Ahmed informed that waste management is the biggest challenge for the plastic sector. Bangladesh will be able to utilise the huge potential in this sector if the challenge is properly dealt with. 

There is a $600 billion global market for plastic products, of which, Bangladesh tapped into $1.2 billion- less than 1%. Therefore, it's necessary to explore new avenues for exporting Bangladeshi plastic products, Shamim Ahmed opined.  

Earlier in open discussion, a representative from melamine product manufacturer and exporter informed that Bangladeshi melamine products have to pay 35% duty for exports to Nepal, which is only 10% for the Indian ones. 

They called for ensuring a level playing field to compete with Indian products in Nepalese market.

Committee members also demanded for reducing VAT from 15% to 3% in the PVC sector, reintroduction of package VAT, declaring rubber product as agro-product, separate HS code for spare parts used in toy production. 

Among others, committee co chairmen Md Shafiqul Islam (Mintu), Md Abul Khair and Nazmul Hossain, FBCCI Adviser Manzur Ahmed and other members of the committee were present at the meeting.