Chowdhury, who also holds the charge of the expatriate welfare ministry, said it is the policy of this government to expand the export of Bangladeshi manpower and the efforts so far appear to have delivered extremely satisfactory results.

Talking to reporters, he said the comparable figure for the same period of the last year was 96,411 and this year there was a 99 percent increase.

He said the remittances from expatriate Bangladeshis over the past four months have already reached the record figure of US $1.6 billion.

The adviser said Malaysia is becoming a key destination. "We've already dispatched nearly 50,000 workers and eventually hope to reach a much higher figure," he said.

Chowdhury said the government is constantly on the lookout for new opportunities. During his visit to South Korea in June, he would also discuss this with the South Korean government. He said a breakthrough, though a small one, has also been made with Canada.

The adviser said he is scheduled to receive a visit from the labour minister of the UAE in Dhaka between May 20 -22. He said the UAE hosts a huge member of Bangladeshi expatriates and the Middle East is an ever-expanding market.