Govt to earmark 850 acres in Mirsarai for defence industrial zone

The government has decided to earmark around 850 acres of land at Mirsarai in Chattogram to develop a defence industrial zone, aiming to build domestic capability and tap into the growing global defence production market.

Ashik Chowdhury, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida), announced the decision at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy today, following a governing board meeting of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Mohammad Yunus.

Chowdhury said the Beza board has taken a policy decision to include the site in its master plan as a dedicated defence industrial zone.

The land, currently vacant, had earlier been identified as an Indian economic zone until June last year, before the project was cancelled.

The Bida executive chairman clarified that the initiative is not intended to replicate the Bangladesh Ordnance Factories model through multiple state-run plants.

Instead, the focus will be on technology transfer, joint ventures, and supplier arrangements with foreign partners, with scope for private sector participation in later phases.

Citing recent global conflicts, Chowdhury said shortages are often seen in basic military supplies rather than advanced platforms, underscoring the need for captive production capacity.

He said the zone will be developed in phases over a long-term horizon, noting that the entire 850 acres will not be utilised at once. Initial activity may cover a limited area over the next five years.

Chowdhury declined to disclose details on potential partner countries or specific products, calling the matter diplomatic and bilateral.

He expressed confidence that the project would continue regardless of political change, describing defence industrial capacity as a national, non-partisan priority.