Natural balance should be maintained during industrialisation, Hasina says

Industrialisation should be prioritised alongside agriculture to strengthen Bangladesh’s economy but the natural balance must also be maintained, Sheikh Hasina has said.

The prime minister was addressing a meeting of Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority or BEZA’s governing body via video conferencing from the Ganabhaban in Dhaka on Thursday.

“There is no doubt that our economy is based on agriculture. But we also need industrialisation at the same time because a nation cannot make progress without industrialisation or industrial boost,” the prime minister said.

“New jobs cannot be created without proper industrialisation. Industrialisation is also important to increase exports as well as meeting the need of the people,” she said.

“Again, we have to keep in mind that we have a huge and growing population in a small country,” she added.

She emphasised saving arable land to ensure food security for the growing number of people, considering that Bangladesh, as a delta, faces many disasters.

“It is indispensible to keep the natural balance on our part. We have to focus on that. Besides this, we need to create more spheres for jobs,” the prime minister said.

Land is a key requirement in industrialisation, but forests and arable lands need to be preserved as well, Hasina said.

The government has considered these issues while setting up the economic zones, she said.

She also emphasised the need for small domestic investments along with investments from abroad.