Adviser feels embarrassed over state-owned enterprises’ activities
Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin has said he feels embarrassed by the activities of state-owned commercial enterprises.
He pointed out that Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory Limited, originally established to manufacture and assemble machinery, is now producing hand sanitisers. Similarly, Bangladesh Diesel Plant Limited, which should have had the capacity to manufacture vehicles, is currently limited to signing contracts for producing car filters. “It is shameful to see such activities from these institutions,” he remarked.
The adviser made the comments on Saturday (21 September) at the closing ceremony of the “Road to Made in Bangladesh and Agro Machinery Fair 2025” at the Edison Prime building in Tejgaon Industrial Area.
Sheikh Bashir Uddin noted that before independence, the country had greater diversity in manufacturing, but that diversity has since diminished. “The nation has developed an anti-manufacturing bias. We have regressed,” he said.
He added, “Before independence, the country had many large industries. Today, we assemble four to five lakh motorcycles annually, but we have not yet manufactured a single engine. While the world is using drones and robots for farming, we are still dependent on power tillers and combine harvesters.”
According to him, a clear model is needed to develop industries. “We must generate a budget surplus. To build industrial capacity, we need to standardize. Sacrifices have to be made for a certain period so that our industries can advance. A clear target is essential.”
Reflecting on past generations, he said, “If I look back at my father’s generation, I saw a lot of entrepreneurial drive among businessmen, which is absent now. Those who have wealth and capacity seem more inclined toward consumption. Instead of taking new initiatives, they have 101 excuses for doing nothing.”
At the same event, former caretaker government adviser and Executive Chairman of the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), Hossain Zillur Rahman, said that for the past 30 years Bangladesh has advanced relying on remittances and the garment sector. “But these will no longer remain the main drivers of the economy. We must now move forward with agriculture, SMEs, and technology-based enterprises and nurture them as the new engines of growth,” he said.
He added that Bangladesh’s most pressing need today is to build a national consensus on the country’s economic direction. “Whether there is political consensus or whether we graduate from LDC status is not the most critical question. What we truly need is a national mood.”
“Incremental progress is no longer enough. We must run now. Discussions on economic development in Bangladesh are always fragmented. They are neither employment-focused nor SME-friendly. There is no clear roadmap,” he observed.
Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) President Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury delivered the closing remarks at the event. Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian, Bangladesh Automobiles Assemblers and Manufacturers Association and Agriculture Machinery Manufacturers Association President Hafizur Rahman Khan, and Ha-Meem Group Managing Director AK Azad also spoke.
The two-day exhibition was organised by the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) in collaboration with the Bangladesh Automobiles Assemblers and Manufacturers Association and the Agriculture Machinery Manufacturers Association. Local and foreign entrepreneurs, policymakers, and experts took part in the fair.