<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b><font color="#e79439">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked the exporters to be more sincere to bring back the money used for export purpose and maintain balance between import and export.</font></b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“We need to urgently maintain balance in import and export. I will urge everyone to be more careful about that purpose,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this while inaugurating the the month-long 28th edition of the Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) at Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre (BBCFEC) at Purbachal.</div><div><br></div><div>She also put emphasis on searching for new markets and products for the export basket to reduce dependency on handful of destinations.</div><div><br></div><div>“For that we need to look for new products, new destinations and markets abroad. We should not be dependent on one or two markets worldwide,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>In this connection, she mentioned that Bangladesh has to overcome various types of hurdles and barriers to send its export items worldwide.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, also chief of the ruling Awami League, said that in its manifesto for January 7 election the Awami League projected export earnings at USD 150 billion by 2030.</div><div><br></div><div>“But for that we have to catch new markets, and our time is short. Above all, if we have fixed a target it will be easy to attain the target. We want to work like this way,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said that jute products and combined jute-and-leather&nbsp; products have a huge market globally.</div><div><br></div><div>“We need to focus on this sector,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She also said that jute should get the opportunities as an agricultural product that are given to the garments sector, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“The opportunities we are giving to garments sector need to be provided in other sectors as well,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking about the handicrafts, which has been declared as product of the year, she said that the government wants that this year handicrafts sector will increase the employment of women of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>