Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun called upon the multipurpose companies yesterday to maintain product quality to grab the global markets.

"We don't want to stay in our local market only. We want to catch the global competitive markets with our quality products," he said while addressing the 'Accreditation Certificate Awarding Ceremony and Laboratory Conclave' at the ministry.

Bangladesh Accreditation Board certified 16 institutions under local and multipurpose testing laboratory and inspection organizations. Md Monwarul Islam, director general of BAB, said products certified by the accredited laboratories would be acceptable globally.

The recipients include National Meteorology Laboratory (BSTI), Engineer Construction BD Testing Laboratory (Dhaka Cantonment), Calibration Laboratory (Biman Bangladesh Airlines), Pathology Laboratory (Labaid Ltd), Pran Beverage Laboratory (Pran Dairy Limited), NUSDAT-UTS (Walton High-Tech Industries Ltd), and National Control Laboratory (Directorate General of Drug Administration).

Nurul Majid congratulated the recipients. "Remember, making low-quality products is also a form of corruption. Low-quality production and low-quality testing are both serious threats for the nation," the minister said.

State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Majumdar said the importance of accreditation management is increasing day by day in export trade activities.

"Your responsibility has increased after getting the accreditation certificates. You have to ensure product quality. The achievement will help deepen [consumer] trust in our products and service quality [abroad] that will play a significant role in increasing our export earnings," he said.

Md Abdul Halim, acting secretary of the ministry, presided over the function. He described the accreditation awardees as "the lifeline of the country's economy." "You should judge the product quality properly," he said.