Dhaka: Industries Secretary Md. Obaidur Rahman has mandated that the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) maintain its services during weekly holidays, a move aimed at expediting the clearance process for imported goods and reducing port demurrage costs for businesses. This directive was announced during a stakeholder public hearing at the BSTI headquarters in Tejgaon, Dhaka, where Rahman served as the chief guest.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the decision addresses long-standing requests from the business community, promising to accelerate the release of imported goods and minimize unnecessary expenses at ports. BSTI officials have been instructed to expedite the clearance process, ensuring it takes less time than outlined in the Citizen’s Charter. The Industries Secretary highlighted the government’s role in providing a supportive policy environment for entrepreneurs, assuring continued governmental support to uphold the nation’s development trajectory.
The public hearing, chaired by BSTI Director General (additional charge) M.A. Kamal Billah, included participation from senior officials and representatives of major industrial groups such as PRAN-RFL Group, Square Toiletries, City Group, Walton, ACI Limited, Polar Ice Cream, Olympic Bakery and Confectionary Limited, Olympia Bakery, Trust Infinity Farms, and Peerless Industries Limited.
Key issues discussed during the event included identifying and combating counterfeit product sources, reducing the time for issuing Standard Operating Procedures (SROs) related to product standards, testing food-grade colors in BSTI labs prior to usage, unifying standards for sugar and non-sugar bread, and enhancing enforcement against non-compliant bakeries.
In his remarks, the BSTI Director General emphasized the pivotal role of businesspeople in the national economy, acknowledging them as the primary recipients of BSTI services and emphasizing accountability for any service shortcomings. Efforts are underway to streamline the SRO issuance process and simplify standard-setting, with the Director General assuring that appropriate measures will be implemented based on the public hearing’s discussions.