A media report came into our notice that publishers have urged the government to provide them with loan facilities and policy support to help the book industry survive severe crisis caused by unusual increase in paper and printing costs. It goes without saying that book industry plays a vital role in building an enlightened and knowledge-based society and so, such news has made us worried about the country’s book industry.
Bangladesh Publishers and Booksellers Association held its 42nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Dhaka unit at Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad Auditorium of Bangla Academy on Sunday. At the programme, speakers highlighted the immense struggle faced by publishers to maintain their traditional business amid high cost of living due to soaring commodity prices.
They stressed that the government must offer direct subsidies for the publication of creative books, saying that publishing is not merely a commercial venture, but also a form of social service. Professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, Director General of Bangla Academy, addressed the programme the chief guest.
The Bangla Academy DG acknowledged that new scientific discoveries are changing people's reading habits, yet affirmed that reading books will remain a powerful medium for acquiring knowledge, necessitating the production of high-quality books. He also mentioned that newspapers are published in nearly 200 languages worldwide, highlighting the strong global position of Bangla language.
Professor Abul Kashem concluded with a remark that publishing good books will further strengthen the language, provided publishers and book sellers maintain a clean and ethical approach to their traditional business.
Dr. Muhammad Abdul Aziz, a renowned educationist and researcher, delivered keynote speech and proposed two key initiatives to boost book sales: One was to allocate stalls at Bangla Academy for a nominal fee to encourage smaller publishers to participate, and secondly urge publishers to take the initiative to organize free book fairs in the compounds of government bungalows and institutions across districts and Upazilas in the country.
In view of the ailing book industry, Dr. Aziz stressed the need for increasing the number of book fairs with the aim to enhance public familiarity with books, cultivate new readers and ultimately boost book sales.
It may mentioned that with the recent emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-run writing platforms, there comes the growing fear of work in the publishing industry becoming obsolete–an industry already becoming increasingly stagnated in Bangladesh. Preexisting publishers are struggling to sustain in the market since the Covid-19 and the recent rise in paper prices.
We hope the government will give utmost importance to the development and flourishment the country’s book industry and come forward to provide the publishers with all necessary support to save this vital sector.
