Japanese companies in Bangladesh top export ratio list: JETRO

Export ratio of Japanese companies operating in Bangladesh is atop among the Asia and Oceania countries as the ratio of exports to total sales by Japanese companies has stood at 65.4%, said Country Representative of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Yuji Ando.

Talking to BSS, Ando said most of the Japanese companies operating in Bangladesh have expansion plans for 2022 and 2023.

The companies reported complexities in rules and regulations as well as in loan processing, taxation, wage compliance, and getting skilled manpower, he added.

He said, "Bangladesh has the most competitive wage among the Asia and Oceania countries. This is the time for Japanese companies to expand in Bangladesh and procure from local sources."

Referring to a survey titled '2021 Jetro Survey on Business Condition of Japanese companies operating in Asia and Oceania with focus on Bangladesh,' Yuji Ando informed that around 65% Japanese companies operating in Bangladesh think that they would be able to make a profit in 2022 as the coronavirus pandemic situation has improved.

This contrasts to 43.2% of the companies that were profitable last year, he added.

He mentioned that Bangladesh was ranked fourth in terms of business confidence for 2022, up five notches from 2021. 

Bangladesh is forecast to come third in terms of profit growth among all countries and regions, he added.

He said the business interest in Bangladesh will grow in the coming years as many Japanese companies started visiting the country with the relaxation of travel restrictions since 1 March last.

"This shows how large interest the Japanese companies have for Bangladesh as the situation improved substantially this year as compared to last year," he added. 

The JETRO country representative informed that 68% of companies are planning to expand their businesses in the next one to two years.

He said a total of 320 Japanese companies are doing business in Bangladesh and the number has risen in recent years due to the continuous economic growth in the past decade and huge business potential.

He informed that those expressing intent to widen their footprint cite growth potential and sales increases for the plans.

Some 54.6% of companies are willing to expand the function of sales, 45.5% plan to go for the production of high-value products, and 27.3% for making general-purpose products, he added.

He said more than 15% of companies intended to expand research and development activities to drive their business growth.

Yuji Ando cited the quality of employees and increased wages as top challenges facing companies in Bangladesh.

In the manufacturing sector, 61.9% of firms stated that procurement cost has increased and mentioned difficulties in the local purchase of raw materials and parts, he informed.

He called for further improvement of the business environment for more competitiveness and to attract future investment.