The centre will be set up at Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) building in Agrabad. EPB Vice Chairman Sahab Ullah announced this while exchanging views with the leaders of the CCCI at a meeting on Thursday.

The EPB vice chairman urged the businesspeople of the region to be more active since he observed that Chittagong contributed only 20 percent to the total export despite being a hub of economic activities of the country.

He also stressed on diversification of export items to boost export volume.

CCCI President Saifuzzaman Chowdhury said the 6.5 percent GDP (gross domestic product) growth that the country achieved in the last fiscal year could be easily raised to 8 percent if the international market of Bangladeshi items could be expanded and export items could be diversified.

The CCCI president also emphasised initiatives for drawing foreign investment in the backward linkage industries to help the import-based export sector.

The CCCI leaders at the meeting underscored the need for handing over the operational activities of Chittagong airport to private sector and increasing export in the seven neighbouring states of India.