Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi Birpratik, MP, has said that public-private coordinated steps will be taken to upgrade the silk of Bangladesh into the world-standard through the expansion and development of the silk industries.
The minister was speaking during the inaugural function of the Exhibition and Sales Centre of traditional Rajshahi Silk at JDPC auditorium in Tejgaon of Dhaka on Sunday (January 24) noon.
Presided over by M Abdul Hakim, Director General of Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board, the function was attended, among others, by Lokman Hossain Mia, Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, Mohammad Abul Kalam, Executive Director of JDPC, high ups from the Textiles and Jute Ministry, Sericulture Development Board and the private entrepreneurs.
The minister said, silk and loom industries are tradition of the Bangalee nation. The present government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working to turn the industry modern and the world-standard, he added.
He further said that the chief aim of the government is to create the opportunity of self-employment, poverty alleviation and thus developing the socio-economic condition of the silk farmers through making of projects for the development of lot of the silk farmers and the Silk Industry.
Golam Dastagir Gazi said, to uphold this tradition of silk worldwide, this silk industry will be modernised. The use of technology in producing silk-yarn will make the loom industries further qualitative. So, a coordinated planning should be devised with the private sectors.
The minister further mentioned, it was essential to improve the technology to make quality silk fabric at a low cost. If necessary, the improved technology should be imported from abroad and the persons related with the industry should be sent abroad for training. He informed, even after imposing about 60 per cent tax on imported yarn, we are failing to compete with the contesting countries. So, we must have the technological discrepency somewhere. We should find out the problems and try to resolve the problems with the help of technology so that we can produce a better quality of yarn than that is imported from abroad.