Industries Minister Dilip Barua put emphasis on establishing a comprehensive and effective regulatory framework to ensure safe and quality products supply.
“It’s an urgent need to protect the rights of the consumers and establish a strong and effective regulatory mechanism,” said the minister.
He was speaking as chief guest at a workshop on “National Quality Policy” in Dhaka on Saturday.
In association with the European Union and the Norwegian Agency for Development (Norad), the Ministry of Industries and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) jointly organised the workshop.
“We should think of our next generation and take the correct decision so they can breathe and live properly.”
Dilip Barua continued: “What we’re leaving for the next generation, the probable answer may be ‘money’ or ‘technology’, or a pollution free environment.”
“It will ease the way further development and improvement of quality infrastructure and standards to meet the demand of the nation in particular and the international market in general.”
Industries Secretary Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah, Head of Cooperation for EU Delegation to Bangladesh, Philippe Jacques and Unido’s Chief Technical Adviser David Holbourne also spoke at the inaugural session.
Project Director of Better Work and Standards Programme (BEST) Lutfor Rahman Tarafder presided over the session.
Philippe Jacques laid stress on products and export diversification saying that “products diversification helps to enlarge export volume.”
“Diversified export structure is needed for better trade benefit and the EU would provide all out cooperation to implement it,” he said.
Jacques said EU will remain engaged with Bangladesh in implementing all initiatives to improve standards.
He pointed out that Bangladesh enjoys duty and quota-free market access to the EU as a least developed country (LDC).
Representatives from trade bodies, foreign delegates and government participated in the workshop.