Speakers at a seminar in Chittagong on Saturday expressed the optimism that Bangladesh would become a middle-income country within the next 10 years through proper planning, increasing agricultural production, and boosting the business and agro-industrial sector.

The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with the World Bank organised the seminar on ‘challenges for Bangladesh in becoming a middle-income country’ chaired by the CCCI president, Saifuzzaman Chowdhury.

Sandeep Mohajan, a senior economist at the World Bank, presented the keynote paper on the bank’s recently-published report ‘Bangladesh: strategy for sustained growth’.

Saifuzzaman, in his speech, said information on Chittagong port was not properly included in the WB report. He also observed that there were a number of recommendations in the report that, if implemented, would prove catastrophic for the country.

Assistant high commissioner of India to Bangladesh, Subrata Bhattachariya, CCCI directors Sayad Ahsanul Hoque and Nasiruddin Chowdhury and former vice president Nurul Islam, among others, spoke at the seminar held at the CCCI auditorium.