Plastic products have a lot of potential in diversifying Bangladesh's export basket, said Sk Bashir Uddin, adviser to the commerce and jute and textile ministries, yesterday.

State policies on the production, use, and disposal of plastics must be formulated based on ground realities alongside global practices, he said.

It is essential to promote ways to responsibly deal with plastic, such as a lifecycle approach to identify and consider all potential impacts at each stage of the value chain, he added.

The adviser was addressing the inauguration of the four-day 17th International Plastic, Packaging, and Printing Industrial Fair at International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka.

Bangladesh is set to graduate from a least developed country (LDC) to a developing one in November 2026, said Sk Bashir Uddin.

This will lead to the loss of preferential access to export markets for the country, while exporters will no longer be eligible for government incentives, he said.

The nation must enhance its capabilities in export competitiveness by improving productivity and reducing production costs to navigate this transition, he cautioned.

Following the inauguration, the commerce adviser toured the fair, which has been jointly organised by the Bangladesh Plastic Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) and Hong Kong-based Yorkers Trade and Marketing Service Company Limited.

This year, the fair is featuring over 800 stalls, with more than 390 brands from 18 countries, including China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and the UK.

The fair will remain open to visitors from 11:00am to 7:00pm.

The inauguration ceremony was presided over by KM Iqbal Hossain, senior vice president of the BPGMEA.

Sheikh Md Abdur Rahman, deputy project director of the government's Export Competitiveness for Jobs Project, Akai Lin, overseas director of Yorkers, Md Jashim Uddin, president of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Shamim Ahmed, president of the BPGMEA, also spoke.