We commend the government’s recent initiative to modernize the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).
With a budget of Tk 851.93 crore, this is a significant leap forward for our quality assurance infrastructure, an area that we have, unfortunately, been severely lagging in.
It is also the sort of forward-thinking project we want to see, one that embraces science and research through building 20 new chemical labs, upgrading 18 existing ones, and installing 15 new physical testing labs, thereby boosting BSTI’s capacity to align with international standards.
Enhanced testing abilities will be crucial in ensuring safer products for consumers, strengthening export compliance, and reducing product adulteration in local markets, thereby protecting public health and boosting consumer confidence.
Such improvement should particularly impact sectors like food safety, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and emerging renewable energy technologies such as solar panels. By ensuring that domestic products meet global standards, Bangladesh also increases its chances of being able to expand its export market and potentially reduce dependency on foreign certifications.
Beyond BSTI, there is an urgent need now to invest more into modern research and testing facilities in Bangladesh. As a nation looking to take the next step in our development journey, we need to be embracing innovation, technological development, and sustainable industrial growth, and this will not be possible without the necessary scientific backbone for product development, environmental monitoring, and public health safeguards.
It all points to fostering a culture of evidence-based policy that is crucial in today’s ever-changing world and thus advancing national competitiveness.
As such, investment in BSTI and broader research facilities is not only one that helps us at present but more importantly represents an investment in our future resilience and prosperity. It is the foundation for a nation that intends to be synonymous with innovation and knowledge creation.
