Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin has said that expenditure cannot be increased without assessing the adequacy of resources, stressing that the primary goal of the country’s economy should be to generate a surplus from spending.

We are a $400 billion economy. Yet why are we unable to achieve a surplus? If we spend beyond our means without considering resource adequacy, surplus will not be possible. Everyone must sincerely work to create a surplus from expenditure based on our own capacity to build a strong economy for the future,”

the Adviser said.

He made the remarks while delivering the keynote speech as the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the “Road to Made in Bangladesh and Agro Machinery Fair 2025,” held Sunday afternoon at Edison Prime in Tejgaon industrial area.

He emphasized that the economy must progress based on domestic capacity, as policy support alone cannot achieve long-term growth.

Except for the garments sector, no other sector in our country has been able to make progress relying solely on policy support, he noted.

Bashiruddin further said that the industrial characteristics that existed before independence are no longer present.

Previously, industries from various countries were established here. After independence, Bangladesh could not fully capitalize on that opportunity, he added.

The two-day fair saw participation from local and international entrepreneurs, policymakers, and experts.

The event was organized by the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) with support from the Bangladesh Automobiles Assemblers and Manufacturers Association and the Agriculture Machinery Manufacturers Association.

Later, the Trade Adviser visited various stalls at the Agro Machinery Fair and interacted with entrepreneurs.