19 honoured with President’s industrial award

Nineteen businesses have been honoured with the "President's Award for Industrial Development 2019" in six categories today.

At the programme, President Abdul Hamid urged the business leaders to diversity and raise quality of products to face the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution.

The president in his recorded video speech also said the application of new technologies is increasing worldwide and the industrial products produced in the country are facing fierce competition in international trade.

The industries ministry gave the award at a programme at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka to the businesses in recognition of their contribution to the private sector, employment generation and economy of the country.

Of the 19 companies, the first price recipients are: BRB Cable Industries and British American Tobacco Bangladesh jointly (large industry); Bengal Polymer Wares (medium industry); Prome Agro Food (small industry); and Masco Dairy Enterprise (micro-industry).

Other first placeholders are: CORR-The Loot Works (cottage industry) and Walton Hi-Tech Industries (hi-tech industry).

The president congratulated the award recipients and urged them to be careful about the environment in addition to industrialisation.

"Alongside ensuring the quality, we also need to diversify the products. Multi-faceted concepts need to be applied in industrial production to keep pace with local and international business trends without relying on any particular product or service sector," the president said.

The government is working to create 100 economic zones for domestic and foreign investors, Hamid said.

"It is aimed at creating employment opportunities for 10 million people with an additional $40 billion export earnings target."

The award ceremony was scheduled to be held in 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic.