The country's eight export processing zones (EPZs) witnessed a 26.50 per cent rise in investment during the first six months (July-December) of the ongoing fiscal year (FY), 2013-14, comparing with that of the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.
On the other hand, export earnings from the EPZs rose by nearly 16 per cent in the first half (H1) of the FY 14 over the corresponding period of the FY 13, according to a press release of the BEPZA (Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority), published Thursday.
The EPZs received investment to the tune of US$ 190.23 million in the first half of the current fiscal against $ 150.37 million in the same period of the previous FY.
In the first six months of the current fiscal year, the Dhaka EPZ has experienced the highest investment inflow of around $ 64 million, followed by Chittagong EPZ ($ 45 million), Adamjee EPZ ($ 41 million), Karnaphuli EPZ ($ 19 million), Uttara EPZ ($ 8.68 million), Comilla EPZ ($ 6.59 million), Mongla EPZ ($ 4.17 million) and Ishwardi EPZ ($ 2.0 million).
The cumulative investment bagged by the EPZs stood at $ 2975.71 million up to December 2013, the release said.
The data showed that the industrial units of the EPZs exported goods worth $ 2598.56 million during July-December of FY 14, up by around 16 per cent from $ 2240.87 million during the same period of the previous FY.
In terms of export performance, Chittagong EPZ secured the first position with $ 1126.48 million, followed by Dhaka EPZ $ 884.77 million, Karnaphuli EPZ $ 232 million, Adamjee EPZ $ 186.58 million, Comilla EPZ $ 102.58 million, Ishwardi EPZ $ 39.10 million, Mongla EPZ $ 13.24 million and Uttara EPZ $ 13.76 million.
Currently, a total of 425 industrial units are operating, while 136 other are still at different stages of implementation, in eight EPZs under BEPZA.
