Sites selected for industrial park
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Monira Munni
International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank's lending arm, has selected two sites for establishing a "co-located cluster industrial park" for light engineering, plastic and electronic factories, officials said.
The IFC initially selected 6 potential sites -- three in Bausia and four in Keraniganj, they added.
Now they will hold meeting this week with the stake holders regarding the potentialities of the two sites, the officials said.
"Two locations have been selected for the project in Keraniganj area and the activities of the project are expected to commence in the beginning of the next year," Syed Rezwanul Kabir, managing director of SMEF told the FE.
Earlier, the SMEF signed a cooperation agreement with IFC in September last year to jointly conduct feasibility study which is expected to be completed in September this year.
Industrialists hoped the industrial park would accelerate production as well as reduce cost due to availability of all necessary raw materials in the same area.
"Now these industries are situated in different places, especially in Dholaikhal area, a place renowned for light engineering which hampers getting raw materials and related equipment easily," Mr Kabir said.
"Our target is to combine the plastic, light engineering, electronics and electronical industries under one roof which is also a demand of the industrialists for a long time," he explained.
According to the plan, allout preparations are expected to be completed by December this year, the SME Foundation MD said.
Ownership of the industrial park would be the owners of the industrial plots, not the government. But a government institution would supervise the activities of the industrial park, officials said.
They claimed these cluster industries are the mother organisation of all industries as they produce capital machineries.
They added the importance of this sector is growing day by day nationally as it is contributing around Tk 10.0 billion to the national economy.
EPB sources said light engineering instruments worth US$190 million were exported in FY2008-09 from US$ 85 million in 2004-05.
According to the Bangladesh Engineering Industry Owners' Association (BEIOA) about 40,000 light engineering industries are operating in the country generating employment opportunities to about 6,00,000 people.
International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank's lending arm, has selected two sites for establishing a "co-located cluster industrial park" for light engineering, plastic and electronic factories, officials said.
The IFC initially selected 6 potential sites -- three in Bausia and four in Keraniganj, they added.
Now they will hold meeting this week with the stake holders regarding the potentialities of the two sites, the officials said.
"Two locations have been selected for the project in Keraniganj area and the activities of the project are expected to commence in the beginning of the next year," Syed Rezwanul Kabir, managing director of SMEF told the FE.
Earlier, the SMEF signed a cooperation agreement with IFC in September last year to jointly conduct feasibility study which is expected to be completed in September this year.
Industrialists hoped the industrial park would accelerate production as well as reduce cost due to availability of all necessary raw materials in the same area.
"Now these industries are situated in different places, especially in Dholaikhal area, a place renowned for light engineering which hampers getting raw materials and related equipment easily," Mr Kabir said.
"Our target is to combine the plastic, light engineering, electronics and electronical industries under one roof which is also a demand of the industrialists for a long time," he explained.
According to the plan, allout preparations are expected to be completed by December this year, the SME Foundation MD said.
Ownership of the industrial park would be the owners of the industrial plots, not the government. But a government institution would supervise the activities of the industrial park, officials said.
They claimed these cluster industries are the mother organisation of all industries as they produce capital machineries.
They added the importance of this sector is growing day by day nationally as it is contributing around Tk 10.0 billion to the national economy.
EPB sources said light engineering instruments worth US$190 million were exported in FY2008-09 from US$ 85 million in 2004-05.
According to the Bangladesh Engineering Industry Owners' Association (BEIOA) about 40,000 light engineering industries are operating in the country generating employment opportunities to about 6,00,000 people.