| by Swadesh Roy
( August 28, 2012, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) Once we were very agricultural based country but from last two decades it has been transforming into industrializations and labor, so the country’s economy is not very much agricultural based now. Agriculture of the country has reached its optimum position. If our leaders think deeply more about our agriculture, it has a little room because plain land of the country cannot produce more rice or whit. Country can only use its hill tracks for horticulture. However, it is very risky because of nature. Destroying or misusing rivers and hills is unbelievable destructive for the nature. We know the present circumstances of the rivers. It has happened for river grabbing and the unplanned river management. Most of our government has made unplanned roads thus the flow of the rivers has blocked. So, it is one of the causes of destruction of the river. But if anyone thinks about the rail line of British period, it can be seen that they never block the flow of the rivers. So, it is very much needed to research before going to farm horticulture in the hill tracks. Even now if we go for farming horticulture at hill tracks it would not give a big out put in our economy so we have to find out the way of right industrialization and use of our labor properly.
We are getting a good result from garment industries because of our cheap labor. It has become possible as we have much people which can convert to labor. So if we think about industrialization, we have to think about labor based industry; and which labor is not based on academicals education, they should be very expert or know that work practically. Government is going to make IT (information technology) park. Our big donor World Bank will support to make this IT Park. This IT Park will help to build up the software business; but it will take time because without educated manpower we cannot compete with the other soft ware businesses in the world market. To make this educated manpower, we have to educate our young people in information technology and in English language. Because software business depends on the knowledge of information technologies along with English language skills.We have to give emphasis on them. It is true that, English knowledge of our large number of students is so poor. A survey report has published some months ago that, most of our school students failed in their JCT examination in English and mathematics. Now a days English language is not only a language but also a technology and the asset of industry and business. Now we are far behind from this asset. Therefore, it would be better to emphasis on uneducated labor. By this uneducated labor what kind of industry we could make. In this Ramadan if we visit the old part of Dhaka city we can find that thousands of workers are working in a small shoe factory. And in Dhaka city there are is big wholesale shoe market where these shoes are being sold. Besides that we have some brands of shoe industry. They have flourished within a very short time. So shoe industry could be one of our wages earning industry. If our industries and our laborers do better in this sector we would produce our own product and we would get more order from the world brand shoe companies; what we are now getting a small scale. It could be an industry very near future like garment industry. Therefore, our government should give more attention in this sector; and they must recognize shoe industry as our future potential industry.
The urbanization of our country is growing fast so furniture’s industry would be another potential industry; that’s why furniture industry is flourishing already. There are some good numbers of furniture industries which are doing well in the country; some of them are exporting. Besides that if you think about our near future geo political and economical structure, furniture industries have a vast markets. It is obvious that, today or tomorrow connectivity with Bangladesh and North East India will be established. On the other hand, after the reconciliation of Myanmar it will be a part of this geo political and economical structure. In spite of all the limitation, North East India has started to be urbanized so our furniture could go their market. I went to visit this year some of their trade fair, I have seen the presence of some of our furniture industries. After watching that, I talked to the industry and commerce minister of Tripura and the chief minister of Assam about our furniture product. Both of them told me that, they want Bangladeshi furniture enter in their market, they also added that Bangladeshi furniture will get more market if we restore connectivity with Bangladesh. It is true that, if North East India gets connectivity facility from Bangladesh, their economy will change rapidly and a huge number of middle class will grow there so urbanization will be happened there rapidly. On the other hand, change of the Myanmar will be happened very rapidly because of their oil and gas. Within a short time world famous oil and Gas Company and the world donor agency will invest more in Myanmar, its impact on the economy of Myanmar will be visible soon. That will help Myanmar to grow a huge new middle class rapidly. So Myanmar will be a good market of Bangladeshi furniture. In addition of that, the Bangladeshi furniture industry will get the raw materials of furniture from Myanmar and the North East India because both of them have huge forest. If Bangladeshi furniture industries get the raw materials from Myanmar and North East India then Bangladeshi furniture industry could enter in Middle East, Europe even US market. So the policy maker of Bangladesh should think about this seriously.
China is now playing the key role in the toy market but it is true China will give up it within a short because of their policy of heavy industry. It is true that in Asia, China and India is now trying to enter into heavy industry area; and they will reach there soon. But the market of the toy in all over the world is obvious; it will never be end because every moment a new father and mother are giving birth. Every parent wants to give a new toy in the lovely hand of their new baby. Therefore, toy market will never reduce as it is like the channel of cartoon network. All over the world cartoon network is one of the most popular channel. That’s why market of toy is always immense. It is possible to make labor dense toy industry in our country so we have huge number of labor. China and other countries also have done this. We have many laborers, so we have to start and prepare for toy industry.
Now We have to go to the way of industrialization; without this we cannot go forward with this mammoth number of population. So it is the time to sort out which industry will be our near future industry and how we will operate those and what will be our geo political and economical policy.
Swadesh Roy, Executive Editor, The Daily Janakantha, Dhaka, Bangaldesh, he can be reached at swadeshroy@gmail.com
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