Minister urges Thailand to invest more
Industries Minister Dilip Barua yesterday urged the Thai entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh as it has been promoting a liberal investment policy to attract foreign investors by offering huge incentive packages.
“Bangladesh is a unique place for investment and our main priority will be establishing knowledge-based hi-tech industries,” said Barua.
The minister urged the Thai business delegates to invest in Bangladesh directly or relocate their industries in the promising sectors like shipbuilding, automobile, light-engineering, ICT, pharmaceuticals, chemical fertiliser, electronic appliances, leather and jute products and agro-based industries.
Barua said these while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the “10th Thailand Trade Exhibition”, jointly organised by the Thai embassy in collaboration and the Thai Trade Centre in Dhaka at Sonargaon hotel yesterday.
“We are an industry friendly government”, said Barua. “We will provide every possible support to secure foreign investments for Bangladesh.”
Thai Ambassador Tassana-wadee Miancharoen said, “We are organising the fair to further improve the existing economic relations and increase the trade substantially.”
In the last 40 years there has been an extensive development of relations between the two nations in every aspect including cultural, diplomatic, and trade relations, said the ambassador.
In 2010, the trade volume was $909.95 million and the growth rate was 39.10 percent compared with the previous year, she said.
About 43 Thai manufacturers and exporters are exhibiting a wide range of products in 50 booths in the fair. The products showcased at the fair include auto parts and accessories, hardware, agricultural equipments, electrical appliances, food and beverage, garments, fashion accessories, gifts and decorative items, health, beauty and herbal products, household and stationery products.
Bangladesh exports garments and textiles, frozen seafood, meat, medical and pharmaceutical products to Thailand while imports polymers, woven fabrics, yarn, cement, iron and steel products, tapioca products, plastic, paper, rubber products, auto-parts and sugar.
The Department of Export Promotion, Ministry of Commerce at Thai Government is also hosting a weeklong 'Thai food festival 2011' that began yesterday at the same venue. Thai Airways is sponsoring the food festival to promote Thai cuisine worldwide. The fair will remain open from Thursday to Saturday from 10am to 8pm.
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