Carew to increase alcohol production amid Covid-19
TALHA BIN HABIB | Tuesday, 30 June 2020
The ministry of industries (MoI) has taken an initiative to increase alcohol production amid growing demand for it due to ensuring hygiene following the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, said a senior official. 
He said the MoI has already applied to the ministry of home affairs for five more new licenses to increase the production of Carew & Company (Bangladesh) Ltd.
"A move is also underway to modernize the company for increasing the production of alcoholic beverage and its exports," an additional secretary of the MoI told the FE on Sunday.
The demand for health safety items like hand sanitizer has been increased manifold recently in the country due to the pandemic. Alcohol is one of the vital components for producing the hand sanitizer.
Apart from other companies, the Carew & Company is also producing hand sanitizer due it's high demand and price competiveness in the market.
The official said they were expecting to get licences from the ministry of home affairs soon.
He further said that the ministry has given a strong directive to the Carew & Company authority to maintain the health safety protocol of the officials and workers during the production of alcohol.
He said that a virtual meeting of the ministry was held on Sunday, taking a decision not to appoint workers by the state-run sugar mills without prior-permission from the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation.
The meeting also stressed the need for completing the ongoing process for setting up the effluent treatment plants (ETP's) at all the 14 state-run sugar mills.
It also asked the authorities concerned to finish the ongoing construction work of 13 buffer godowns and complete the process of building34 more buffer godowns by Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation.
The official said the meeting also reviewed the revised annual development programme (ADP) for the fiscal year of 2019-20.
He said that until May last, the MoI has implemented 79.03 per cent of the total ADP allocation for the outgoing fiscal year.
Industries minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun asked the officials to help implement the stimulus package for the industrial sector due the coronavirus pandemic.
He also directed them to timely finish the projects undertaken by the ministry.
The meeting was presided over by industries secretary K M Ali Azam, which was also attended by state minister for industries Kamal Ahmed Majumder and high officials of the ministry.