Policy diversion is necessary to overcome the criminalization achieved in the past 16 years. And to do this diversion, we have to be cognizant. Our regulators have to adopt specific and necessary policies.
He said this in his speech as the chief guest at the seminar titled ‘Automobile Policy for Green Growth and Competitive Economy’ jointly organized by ERF and Policy Exchange Bangladesh at the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) Auditorium on Wednesday (June 25, 2025) afternoon.
The Trade Adviser said, bulk cargo comes to our country, be it cement clinker, fertilizer or foodgrain, the amount of which is about 100 million tons. The seminar said that about 20 percent of our GDP is logistical. We need to collaborate with our cash outflow.
He said, a large part of our cash outflow is spent in foreign currency. For example, the external freight we pay, the air fare we pay, the port cost we pay are all logistical costs. It is sad but true that the logistics cost of our country is higher than the logistical cost of the developed countries of the world. At present, our country needs forty-one billion kilometer tons of logistics. By 2040, this will increase ninefold to 300 billion kilometer tons.
He also said, agriculture, industry and services are among the major drivers of our economy. The primary enabler of all these is logistics. Along with this, utilities, gas and electricity and labor productivity. If we combine these, we see that our country’s consumer goods market or food market is 150 billion US dollars.
If we think about the historical context, all the places in our country named after Ganj, be it Sirajganj, Munshiganj and Narayanganj, these were the logistics hubs of our country. Asked if there is any other country in the world that has more than two hundred rivers, he added.
Sheikh Bashiruddin said, we are a country with a population of 170/180 million. There are no mineral resources, but there is a demographic dividend. This large population is very vibrant and productive. If we use this, if we can increase labor productivity through the use of logistics capacity and labor, then a beautiful future awaits us.
Stating that there is a manifestation of our policy in the budget, Commerce Advisor Sheikh Bashiruddin said, automobiles are a small but very important part there. At one time, in the name of car production, the entire body was brought from abroad and four wheels were put on it and praised. Now, a sound policy must be made to overcome those inconsistencies of the past 16 years.
He said this while delivering the keynote address at a seminar titled ‘Automobile Policy for Green Growth and Competitive Economy’ jointly organized by ERF and Policy Exchange Bangladesh at the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) Auditorium on Wednesday afternoon.
Abu Momtaz Saad Uddin Ahmed, Chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, delivered the keynote address at the seminar.
Mashrur Riaz, Chairman of Policy Exchange Bangladesh, presented the keynote address at the seminar. The panel discussion was attended by Abdul Haque, President of Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association, Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury, President of Bangladesh Chamber of Industries, Matiur Rahman, Chairman of Uttara Motors, and Rizwan Rahman, Former President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Daulat Akhter Mala, President of Economic Reporters Forum (ERF), an organization of finance and trade journalists, delivered the welcome address. The event was moderated by ERF General Secretary Abul Kashem.
