Speakers at a programme on Tuesday said local companies must standardise their potential export products with international benchmark to grab share in the competitive global market.
In this regard, testing and accreditation authority is required to tap the export potential of different products other than ready-made garment (RMG) sector, they said.
The observations came at a virtual dialogue, titled 'Identifying the Challenges and Measuring Gaps of Present Standardisation Capability in Bangladesh for Export Potential Products'.
Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD) organised the event in collaboration with International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Moderated by BUILD CEO Ferdaus Ara Begum, the programme was addressed by Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) Director General Dr Md Nazrul Anwar, Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Shamim Ahmed, Bangladesh Engineering Industry Owners' Association President Md Abdul Razzaque, and World Bank (WB) Private Sector Specialist Hosna Ferdous Sumi.
Dr Anwar said BSTI is keen to align its efforts with international standards for which it is already working with academia to have research-based product standardisation as well as upgrading its capacity.
BSTI has also been setting up new laboratories to ensure proper testing and standards certification for a variety of sectors, he added.
He also informed that BSTI had taken two projects to set up 90 laboratories for product standardisation and certification and to establish logistics infrastructure in 10 more districts.
Welcoming the recommendations and suggestions from the private sector, he said close coordination among the stakeholders would help the government reach export target, export market expansion and export diversification.
BUILD CEO said in order to become successful and competitive exporter in the current global market, companies must ensure that their products are quality compliant as demanded by the foreign markets.
In this respect, up to date information on technical regulations specified in standards or technical regulation set by WTO, as required by the foreign markets, is very important, she said.
Former director general of South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) Dr Syed Humayun Kabir presented the keynote paper at the virtual event.
In the presentation, Dr Kabir focused on identifying gaps of potential export products (PEP) in existing BSTI standards and identifying international standards for shortlisted PEP for plastics, leather and leather goods, and light engineering sectors.
Discussing the present standard infrastructure of Bangladesh, he shared the list of 42 potential export products identified by BUILD - ofwhich, 12 products were shortlisted.
Product certification scheme allows the licensees to use the BSTI product certification mark on products that conform to a Bangladesh standard, he mentioned.
Till now 3,950 standards have been developed through consensus of six divisional and 76 technical committees, he noted.
Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association president said the plastic industry was a very important export-oriented industry that also served other sectors as a backward linkage industry,especially RMG and electronics sectors.
It is essential to ensure standardisation of toys, kitchen and household appliances, bags and sacks to increase export as these products have huge export potential, he added.
Bangladesh Engineering Industry Owners' Association president suggested that best practices of other countries should be taken into account and a time-bound programme should be initiated on product standardisation and accreditation with enhanced testing equipment and lab facility that meet global standards.
World Bank specialist Hosna Ferdous Sumisaid local and international standardisation of product should be synchronised as it was one of the competitive factors to attract foreign buyers.
Complexity in product standardisation and accreditation process is one of the key barriers for export growth in non-RMG export sectors in the country, she added.
BUILD and IFC are working together to address and mitigate the actual problems in this regard, she mentioned.
Leathergoods and Footwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association of Bangladesh executive director Kazi Roushan Ara Shumi, BUET Professor Dr Aloke Kumar Mozumder, Runner Group Chairman Hafizur Rahman Khan, among others, spoke at the programme.
ahb_mcj2009@yahoo.com