Commerce secy blames govt policy

Commerce Secretary Ghulam Husain has lined up with private sector stakeholders in criticising successive governments of the country for their failure in facilitating trade and reducing cost of business.
Husain credited the private sector for its "amazing" performance in export -- 33 percent growth rate in the first quarter of the current fiscal year -- despite fierce competition. He said that he had found almost no role of the government behind it.
The secretary was addressing a dialogue on trade promotion through facilitation organised jointly by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and ARTNeT of UNESCAP at CIDRAP auditorium in the capital. CPD Executive Director Mustafizur Rahman chaired the dialogue.
The private sector and development partners have long been complaining about the country's lack of proper business environment, procedures, policy and its implementation. This is atypical that a top incumbent bureaucrat became so critical of the successive governments for their failure in trade promotion and facilitation.
Representatives of the public and private stakeholders, who took part in the dialogue, urged the government to do everything needed to facilitate trade; otherwise, they said, the country would not survive the global economic competition.
They said tariff is not a big setback for business today, rather adopting appropriate policy, functioning institutions and development of necessary infrastructure are more important to reduce cost and contribute to world economy and its growth.
The commerce secretary said the successive governments could not do anything substantial to facilitate trade. For instance, he said, it took nearly 20 years to make Chittagong Port partially automated.
Ghulam Husain also criticised the government's export policy that has, in his terms, no legal status. "These are nothing but big talks," he said.
He said the government announces thrust sectors every year, but these industries do not receive benefits including easy access to bank loans and cash incentives.
"Are the banks considering single digit interest rate for shipbuilders? How will the government enforce it?" Husain said.
He observed that the issue of compliance is eating up our potential and yet the country is showing no gesture to improve its testing and accreditation facilities.
Reacting to the commerce secretary's concern, Mir Nasir Hossain, former president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said, "I am really lost when a person like the commerce secretary says that the government talks big only."
He said the necessary policies should be there and those should be implemented on time. Businessmen are tired of moving from one ministry to another for getting their works done. They need to be facilitated to work closely with the ministries of industry and commerce and finance, he added.
"Some sort of a forum is required to ensure this coordination," proposed the former FBCCI president.
Syed Saifuddin Hossain, senior research associate of CPD, and Yann Duval of trade and investment division of UNESCAP presented separate keynote papers on trade promotion through facilitation and trade facilitation on Asia Pacific perspective.
The two papers observed that Bangladesh requires more time and money than its neighbours and other competing countries to trade across the border. Moreover, preparation of export documents needs 14 days here while it takes eight days in India and four days in Japan.
The chair of the dialogue Mustafizur Rahman said, "Bangladesh is still lagging behind its competitors. However, there are some improvements in trade issue although a lot more needs to be done."