In early March, Md Yousuf, proprietor of Srabon Printing Press in the capital’s Gopibagh area, thought business would return to normal the following month after a prolonged downturn marked by low work orders. However, till date, his business remains in a nosedive. Yousuf owns a small printer machine with a capacity to churn out 50,000 books monthly. Recently though, he printed only 5,000 to 7,000 books for each of the last four months. “Three-fourths of my business has been lost due to the coronavirus,” Yousuf told The Daily Star yesterday. However, this is not to say that the ongoing pandemic has only affected small-scale companies as the coronavirus fallout did not even spare large operations like City Art Press. Founded in 1984, City Art printed over 60 lakh textbooks last year. “This year has been the worst year for my business since its inception,” said Tofayel Khan, managing director of City Art. Khan pointed out two reasons behind the industry’s current situation. First is the pandemic, which has eaten away at his packaging orders from apparel and personal care manufacturers among other industries. The other reason, according to Khan, is bidding for textbook printing is now at an unprecedentedly low price. “Some people are winning bids by offering far lower price than the market rates. This creates monopolies in the industry,” he said, adding that many printing presses may go bankrupt as a result, leading to lower grade textbooks in circulation. Khan also said that orders to print diaries and calendars dwindled this year. At the beginning of the year, local printing houses delivered more than 35 crore textbooks to the government for distribution. The printing sector, comprised of more than 7,000 presses, has witnessed massive growth in the last decade thanks to the government’s free book distribution initiative. The collective industry currently has the capacity to print 100 crore books annually. On the other hand, business for Orchid Printers, a major player and one of the oldest surviving firms in the sector, was less affected by the virus due to the firm’s strong foothold in packaging. “I have big clients like British American Tobacco Bangladesh, the UNDP and Unilever for packing. So, only 15 per cent of my business was affected by the pandemic,” said Hasina Newaaz, managing director of Orchid Printers. However, most other presses, especially the small and medium ones, have felt adverse impacts brought on by the novel coronavirus. Against this backdrop, the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) yesterday organised a webinar styled, ‘Covid -19 Outbreak & Bangladesh’s Publishing Industry: Crisis & Way Forward’. Various stakeholders of the sector participated in the discussion, moderated by DCCI President Shams Mahmud. “Due to the Covid-19 crisis, the sector lost business worth about Tk 4,000 crore out of the total Tk 12,000 crore turnover from the industry,” said Shahid Serniabad, president of the Printing Industries Association of Bangladesh. Although only 35 crore academic books published by local printers were delivered to students in early January, the country’s printing sector is more than capable of printing 100 crore academic books yearly, he said, adding that around 5 lakh people directly depend on the industry for their livelihoods. Serniabad also sought government support for micro entrepreneurs in the sector so that they can get loans under the previously announced stimulus packages. Farid Ahmed, president of the Academic and Creative Publishers Association of Bangladesh, said that to recoup losses made by the printing and publishing sector amid the coronavirus crisis, the authorities need to first conduct comprehensive research to find out the actual losses to the sector. “A long-term policy framework is needed to make the sector sustainable,” he added. Md Shafiqul Islam Bhorosha, president of the Bangladesh Paper Importers Association, said market demand has declined to such an extent that about 70 per cent sales have been lost to the deadly pathogen. “Cash flow is a big problem now. We need to identify different sub-sectoral losses caused by the pandemic,” said DCCI President Mahmud. He also said the government did a great job by announcing a Tk 20,000 crore stimulus package for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). However, micro enterprises that do not have regular dealings with banks are being deprived of loans under the stimulus package, he added. Regarding the printing and publishing industry, Mahmud suggested forming updated policy frameworks, reforming duty structures, technology adaptation, enhancing training facilities and easy access to finance. MA Momen, former president of the DCCI, said printing and publishing is a challenging business. However, Bangladesh’s capacity in the sector is increasing day by day. He urged the government to take measures to safeguard the import substitute manufacturers. Mohammad Abdul Kader Khan, president of the Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said very few MSMEs in the sectors received loans from the stimulus package. Khan also called upon the government to slash duties on the import of raw materials in the printing and publishing sector. Mohammad Bashiruddin, DCCI vice president; Rafiqul Islam Azad, president of the Dhaka Reporters Unity; Shamol Paul, president of Bangladesh Pustok Prokashak O Bikreta Samity; Bashar Patwary, president of Bangladesh Local Carton Manufacturers Association, also spoke at the event.
