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DATE trees grow naturally in Bangladesh. The sweet juice of these trees is extracted and consumed as drink with much relish in the countryside. It is also sought after by our people to prepare different delicious dishes. Fine quality molasses are made of this juice. Experts are of the view that the same molasses can be put through fermentation processes to produce world class alcoholic drinks for export.
Alcoholic drinks and intoxicants are discouraged in Bangladesh but there should be no bar to making the same for sale abroad specially when we are looking for ways to diversify our export.
Sugarcane is also grown in abundance in Bangladesh and quite a large quantity of sugar is made from it. Again experts maintain that much value can be added to sugarcane juice or cane sugar by using it as the basic raw material for producing a variety of alcoholic drinks for the export market. Cane sugar can be converted into different forms having high value in the medicine industries. Such converted cane sugar can be also exported.
Furniture made of canes have found popularity in our country. Furniture of this type have a high demand also among foreigners for their quality and artistry. Cane made furniture, too, have good export prospects.
Looking around in our country, we may find many inexpensive products which can be transformed into foreign currency earning export products provided there is some enterprise among some of us. Export promotion bodies should systematically provide encouragement to export of such non-traditional products.
A F M Sulaiman
Pahartali,
Chittagong
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