Spreading product diversification concept among rural people urged

In a bid to expand the export basket, Bangladesh needs to spread the product diversification concept among the rural people, speakers said at a seminar in Dhaka yesterday.
They said if the rural people are well aware of such a concept, it will not only reduce dependence on a limited exportable items, it will also open up doors for their livelihood.
"It is quite difficult to achieve a significant export target by just making a product list without developing research and development for any specific market and any initial sales target," Tomohiro Kinomoto, a representative of Jetro (Japan External Trade Organization), Bangladesh, told the seminar.
Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and Jetro, Bangladesh jointly organised the seminar on One Village, One Product (OVOP) Movement: Spreading throughout the World.
The seminar aimed to share the experiences of Japan's One Village, One Product and Bangladesh's One District One product (ODOP) campaign.
Kinomoto said this is high time for Bangladesh government to enhance business activities in rural areas.
M Abdul Aziz, agriculture secretary, Mohammad Shahab Ullah, vice chairman of EPB, Yonezo Fukuda, deputy chief of mission, Embassy of Japan in Dhaka, and Kanyarat Vongskul, minister (Commercial) of Royal Thai Embassy, also spoke.
Tadashi Uchida, special adviser, OVOP programme, International Exchange Promotion Committee, presented a keynote paper on the theme of the seminar, chaired by Fazle Hasan Abed, founder and chairperson of BRAC.
M Abdul Aziz urged the Japanese experts to provide all support so that EPB's One District One Product programme becomes successful.
He stressed the need for developing agro products in order to diversify exports.
Mohammad Shahab Ullah said under the ODOP programme, as many as 14 exports potential products from 41 districts have already been selected. He sought adequate government support so that these products can earn huge foreign exchange.
Yonezo Fukuda made an assurance that Japan government would provide necessary support to Bangladesh to make the ODOP programme successful.
One Village One Product programme, which is widely successful movement in Japan, has already been successfully initiated in other countries around the world.
Kanyarat Vongskul said Thailand also successfully implemented the Japanese model to diversify products.