Old machine hampers taka printing

DHAKA: Some 12 million pieces of new notes of taka are being printed against the demand of about 15 to 16 million pieces in a year recently because of 30-year-old machine.

The Security Printing Corporation Bangladesh Limited (SPCBL) is not capable to print required volume of new notes as the country faces deficit of 3 to 4 million pieces of new notes, official sources said.

The capacity of the machine did not increase in the last 30 years. So, the printing money task can be obstructed by damaging machine at any moment, they added.

The sources also informed it is very essential to buy two new machines for running the task of printing money but the authorities concerned cannot buy the machines due to lack of money.

Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank (BB) Dasgupta Ashim Kumar told banglanews that “we cannot print taka as per our demand per year due to lack of machine”.

At present, the task of printing money is going on through two lines. “It is needed to increase by three-line. A letter will be given to the security printing regarding the matter this week,” he said.

The Bangladesh Bank official said it is increasing the scope of economy of the country, growth and the taka is becoming old also.

The demand of new taka is increasing day by day for increasing the population but, the production capacity of the machines did not increase, he added.

Dasgupta said, “We cannot print new notes from abroad. This will create a criticism. So, we have to increase the production capacity.”

Sources said at present, there six printing machines in the organization and of them two are offset. All the machines except one had been bought in 1982.

Besides, the brightness of the taka is not so good, as there no machine to make the taka bright. The organization needs Tk over 100 crore to buy the machines.

BDST: 1955 HRS, MAR 13, 2012