Other challenges

 Alongside gas and raw materials, adjusting prices is a big challenge for
us.
 Product prices in the local market have to be hiked due to frequent rise
in gas prices.
 Buyers do not take this easily. As a result, a section of buyers is leaning
towards low-priced Chinese goods.
 Other challenges
Secondly, we are facing a problem regarding duty.
We could not bring it down to zero despite holding talks with the government.
Fifteen percent supplementary duty has been imposed on ceramic products, although they
are not luxury items.
Value added tax (VAT) is also a burden for the industry. However, we have huge potential
if these problems could be solved.
 Other challenges

● The buyers in Europe and America prioritise quality of products

and compliance issues.
● All firms under our association are compliant. Almost all of them
have their own Effluent Treatment Plants. Most of the firms have
adopted modern technology. However, there is a shortage of
skilled manpower.
 FUTURE OUTLOOK

It is clear that in the last 10 years, the ceramic sector grew by over 20 percent on average. This sector,

which depends on imported raw materials, now occupies a big spot in the export market after meeting

domestic demand. There are 66 ceramic brands in Bangladesh at present, including those making

tableware, tiles and sanitary ware. Every year, ceramic products worth about Tk6,000 crore are sold in

the local market. At present, about 5 lakh people are directly and indirectly engaged in the industry. We

hope that it will be the third largest export sector in bangladesh