The government has announced plans to establish four new export processing zones (EPZs) as part of its strategy to promote balanced regional industrialisation, attract investment and create large-scale employment opportunities across the country.
Presenting the national budget for FY2026-27 in Parliament on Thursday, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said work is already underway to establish new EPZs in Patuakhali and Jashore districts, while two more EPZs in Gaibandha and Sirajganj are in the pipeline.
"The Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) is currently carrying out industrial activities in eight Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and two Economic Zones (EZs)," the finance minister said in his budget speech.
He noted that the zones have achieved significant success in industrialisation, employment generation and foreign exchange earnings through improved infrastructure, investment-friendly policies and efficient management.
"To ensure balanced regional development across the country, work is underway to establish new EPZs in Patuakhali and Jashore districts," he told Parliament.
According to the finance minister, the proposed Patuakhali EPZ is expected to create employment opportunities for nearly 100,000 people, while the Jashore EPZ is projected to generate around 150,000 jobs.
"In addition, the establishment of Rangpur EPZ in Gaibandha district and Sirajganj EPZ in Sirajganj district is currently in the pipeline," he added.
The move comes as the government seeks to expand industrial activities beyond traditional manufacturing hubs and stimulate investment and job creation in relatively less-developed regions.
Earlier, the BNP's election manifesto called for the "rapid development of economic zones and implementation of new industrial parks" as a key plank of its job-creation agenda.
The budget also identifies employment generation as one of the four guiding principles for public investment decisions, stating that investments will be assessed based on their job-creation potential.
The focus reflects the BNP's election manifesto pledge to make employment generation its foremost priority.
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