Bangladesh has a bright prospect for substantially enhancing the domestic and international market of software products, said the BASIS president, reports UNB.
“There is a large scope for software market expansion. The domestic market and the volume of exports of software products could be raised to Tk 70 billion by 2014 if the government gives proper attention and support to the sector,” said Habibullah N Karim, president of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS).
He said that the total size of software industry that includes software products, IT services, IT Enabled Services (ITES), graphic design, animation, business process and outsourcing in the country was presently around Tk 10 billion.
The country’s software industry was able to raise its export to US$32.91 million in the 2008-09 fiscal with an increase of around 32 per cent compared to that of the previous fiscal (2007-08).
But, according to statistics provided by Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the export dropped in the July-November period of the current fiscal to US$10.5 million, a shortfall of US$4.4 million or 29.6 per cent compared to the corresponding period of the previous fiscal (2008-’09).
“I think, it will be tough for us to reach the export target of US$38.1 million in the current fiscal unless something unusual happens in the remaining seven months,” said the BASIS president.
He noted that export had declined due to a delayed effect of global economic recession, the ongoing power crisis and some other inconveniences.
Apart from the USA, the highest export destination, other export destinations for Bangladeshi software products are spread over 30 countries including Canada, Germany, Denmark, Holland, the UK, Norway, Sweden, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia and India.
The BASIS president observed that the industry witnessed uneven growth in the last 10 years although there had been a positive growth in terms of investment.
He said the BASIS membership, which was only 17 in 1997, now stood at 335. Besides, the trend of Offshore Development Centre (ODC) was also increasing.
“If we can provide the industry with right environment like adequate power facility, the ODCs can come up quickly resulting in employment generation, branding, reaching new technological skills and facilitating outsourcing.”
source:http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=96737
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