Jagaran Chakma

The implementation of the government’s plan to bring about large-scale industrialisation is in the slow lane as only two state-run economic zones are currently ready for setting up factories although Bangladesh set out nearly seven years ago to establish them.

Foreign assistance disbursement and commitment both increased in Bangladesh in the first seven months of the current fiscal year thanks to speedy release of funds and additional promises as support for tackling the pandemic.

The government has allowed the export of soybean meals on a case-by-case basis, a move that has generated anger among dairy farmers.

Ayush Jain, managing director of Delhi-based automotive component manufacturer Kube Autotech Pvt, had no idea about the growing aftermarket sales in Bangladesh.

Production at state-run sugar mills is set to hit its lowest point in over a decade as sugarcane processing has fallen sharply amid reduced supply, according to the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC).

“If the city corporations become involved in giving permission for construction, it would have a negative impact on the housing industry,” said Alamgir Shamsul Alamin, president of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB).

Rubber production is growing in Bangladesh, buoyed by increased domestic use and surging exports, particularly to neighbouring India.

The railways ministry has asked the Economic Relations Division (ERD) to search for funds for a project to convert the Akhaura-Sylhet rail track into dual gauge from metre gauge.

Foreign investors expect hassle-free, ready-to-use industrial setups, which the country’s leather sector, especially footwear and associated goods, lacks, says Md Saiful Islam, president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka (MCCI).

A top footwear manufacturer is setting up a shoe industrial park, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, to supply import substitute raw materials and accessories to producers, boost exports and attract foreign investment.

Bangladesh’s largest industrial enclave, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar, in Mirsarai, Chattogram, finally witnessed the start of operations of its maiden factory last week.

While foreign construction firms are using imported prefabricated modular units of steel in the country’s mega projects, Dhaka Mass Transit Company is using that made locally in the metro rail project, resting assured of their international standard.

The demand for motorcycles with a higher engine capacity is growing among bike enthusiasts in Bangladesh as these models are becoming increasingly safer and cheaper.

The market for particle board is thriving in Bangladesh on the back of the rising demand for timber-alternative furniture and their growing use in interior designing.

High import duties on raw materials are dampening price competitiveness of Bangladesh’s furniture industry, a major drawback to tapping into international markets.

Ice cream manufacturers are enjoying robust sales after launching awareness campaigns on how consuming the sweetened frozen food does not increase the risk of contracting a serious case of Covid-19.

Factory inspection teams have identified fire safety infractions at around 979 units in the past two months.

Bangladesh is unlikely to face any immediate effect for the coal export ban by Indonesia, the world’s biggest thermal coal exporter.

Medicines worth $105.50 million were exported in the July-December period, up from $86.33 million in the same period a year ago, data from the Export Promotion Bureau showed.

The government is close to striking a deal with foreign investors for reopening the six shut sugar mills as part of its plan to make the losing Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) sustainable.