They also lamented the exit of his predecessor Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and said the government should not have placed Altaf in the vital ministry as he hardly has any business background.

The business leaders also were of the opinion that the government should not have removed Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury from commerce ministry in the first place as Bangladesh is poised to start negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with some neighbouring countries.

Khosru has the knack and capacity to negotiate critical multilateral trade issues under the World Trade Organisation (WTO), they added. They also viewed that Khosru was made a scapegoat for the essentials price spiral which, according to them,

should not be blamed on a single ministry.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Annisul Huq viewed Khosru's departure as the loss of a knowledgeable and pro-business leader.

"He (Khosru) has played an effective role in WTO and FTA negotiations. He was very concerned about the post-MFA (Multi-Fibre Arrangement) chal lenges facing the garment industry and also about other key challenges Bangladesh economy is facing," the BGMEA president said.

On the new commerce minister, he said, "We would like to work with him and hope that he would take effective steps to help overcome MFA fallout on readymade garment sector."

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry President Abdul Awal Mintoo said, "We have seen in newspapers that he has resigned on personal ground, so we cannot comment on that. We from FBCCI will meet the new commerce minister tomorrow (Sunday) and would like to work together (with Altaf)."

"As Bangladesh is negotiating FTA with some neighbouring countries and RMG sector is likely to face setback at the end of MFA era, we must work together and help the commerce ministry with inputs," Mintoo told The Daily Star last night.

Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Kutubuddin Ahmed said a single minister or ministry should not be held responsible for the price spiral of essentials.

"It's an issue that needs concerted efforts from different ministries... A particular minister should not be made scapegoat. We in the chamber will meet tomorrow (Sunday) to discuss the changing scenario and give an official reaction," he said from Chittagong.

Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association President Quazi Monirul Haq said Khosru was gifted with trade negotiation skills. His exit may throw off the track and slow down future trade negotiations, especially FTA negotiations with India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Khosru took effective and timely steps to tackle dumping of sea foods and bio-terrorism much to the relief of the frozen foods industry, Monir said.