Nagar Reporter: Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro met business leaders in an exchange meeting at Bangabandhu Conference Hall in the World Trade Center on Wednesday (October 4) morning. It was chaired by Chamber President Omar Hajjaz.
Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro said that Italy was the first to recognize Bangladesh among European countries. Last year, Italy and Bangladesh crossed 50 years of bilateral relations. Italy is the 7th export trade center in Bangladesh. A lot of readymade garments are exported from Bangladesh to Italy. There is no alternative to apparel diversification to sustain export growth as per future market demand. He also said that around 200,000 people in Bangladesh sent remittances of around 1.2 billion euros last year, working with reputation in Italy. Italy needs more skilled manpower. Skilled and trained manpower will be imported from Bangladesh through legal channels in the future as well. In this case, a technical training center and a management education center can be done jointly with the aim of creating skilled human resources.
He said that Italy is an environmentally friendly country. Recently, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh signed the Biofuel Initiative at the G20 conference. As a result, the possibility of fuel production from waste will be created in Bangladesh. In this regard, Italy is interested in providing technical assistance in the production of fuel from waste. The ambassador pointed out the possibility of Italian businessmen investing in Bangladesh’s food processing, machinery, ICT, shipbuilding, and infrastructure development sectors.
Chittagong Chamber President Omar Hajjaz said that most of the Bangladeshi products exported to Italy are ready-made garments. Therefore, stressing export diversification, he called for the import of various seasonal fruits, including mango, jackfruit, freshwater fish, jute and jute products, leather and leather products, plastic toys, and bicycles from Bangladesh.
He said the Chittagong region is going to become an attractive destination for investment through significant infrastructure development under the visionary leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Omar Hajjaz, through the ambassador, invited Italian businessmen to invest in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar, the country’s largest specialized economic zone located in Chittagong, using the geographical advantages of Chittagong and the various benefits provided by the Bangladesh government for investment. Besides, Omar Hajjaz sought the help of the ambassador to continue the quota-free benefits to European Union countries like Canada, Australia, and Italy after Bangladesh’s LDC graduation. At the same time, industrial owners are investing in installing rooftop solar in various industries with the aim of meeting 40% of the total energy demand through environmentally friendly renewable energy by 2041. In this regard, Chamber President Omar Hajjaz invited Italian investors to invest in this sector.
Raisa Mahbub, vice president of the Chittagong Chamber, said that there is a considerable demand for Italian machinery in Bangladesh’s garment sector, and most of the products imported from Italy are machinery for various sectors and industries. Therefore, he called for the establishment of service centers for Italy’s exported machinery and the establishment of joint training centers to provide technical training to operators for repair and operation.
Vice President Raisa Mahbub, Honorary Consul of Italy Mirza Salman Ispahani, Honorary Consul General of Turkey Salahuddin Kasem Khan, Chamber Director Anjan Shekhar Das, Md. Rakibur Rahman (Tutul), Mahfuzul Haque Shah, Mohammad Monir Uddin, and Omar Muktadir of the Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber were present. Vice President of Commerce and Industry M. Mahbub Chowdhury, Director of BKMEA Ahmed Noor Faisal, Director of Bangladesh Shipping Agent Association Sajjadur Rahman, Director of Meridian Group Akib Kamal, Principal of Bangladesh-Korea Training Center Engineer Nuruzzaman, Assistant Director of Export Development Bureau Chittagong Morshedul Haque, Euro Exim Bank, BSRM Group, and BRAC representatives spoke. Honorary Consul of the Philippines, M., among others. A. Awal, chamber director K. M. Akhtar Hossain, Md. Ahid Siraj Chowdhury (Swapan), Zahirul Islam Chowdhury (Alamgir), Mohammad Adnanul Islam, and Akhtar Uddin Mahmud, business representatives from various sectors, and embassy officials
