Epyllion plans to set up Tk 60cr plant

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Epyllion plans to set up Tk 60cr plant

Refayet Ullah Mirdha

Shaking off the recession jitters, Epyllion Group, one of the fastest growing local knitwear manufacturing groups, is planning to set up a woven making unit at Tk 60 crore as the market for the item is widening. The factory is expected to go into production within the next one and a half years.

The group currently having 10 knitwear plants with more than 9,000 workers will set up its woven garment manufacturing unit in Gazipur, said Reazuddin Al-Mamoon, managing director of the group.

C&A, Zara and CAPPA are the major buyers of Epyllion Group, which started its journey in 1994 with a limited production capacity and 200 workers in the city’s Mirpur area, he said.

“The investment will be more than Tk 60 crore in the woven factory and I hope it will start production within the next one and a half years,” said Mamoon, who is now travelling European countries to complete negotiations with his major buyers.

He said the production capacity would be 10,000 pieces of woven items per day in the proposed factory.

The owner of the group said he has an even bigger plan for further investment as Bangladeshi companies are increasing their share in the global apparel market, but the problem is that the government cannot supply gas and electricity, and infrastructures are weak.

He said if everything goes all right, he will go for investment in denim manufacturing as the market of this product is widening rapidly due to recent changes in fashion and clothing designs.

Mamoon said Bangladesh’s share in the global apparel market is only 2 percent and the country can hardly maintain the orders of EU and USA.

“We have also potential buyers in Japan, China, Canada, New Zealand, Middle East, Australia and South Africa.”

Talking to The Daily Star from UK, Mamoon said the economic situation in Europe is stabilising by degrees and the scope for Bangladeshi readymade garments is also widening as the country produces basic items.

“Every year I send $60 million worth knitwear products to EU. In the immediate past fiscal year I sent the same amount. I hope in FY 2009-10 I would be able to send more than $60 million worth of products to EU,” he said.

The group’s another main export destination is USA, he said. The group’s total export was $87 million in FY 2008-09 and in the current FY he is expecting $90 million exports.

“For a long time the group maintained a 25 percent growth year-on-year, but in 2009-10 the growth would be slowed to 10 percent mainly because of a decline in orders,” he said.

Asked about the impact of the latest labour unrest on the buyers, Mamoon said they have to explain a lot of things to the international buyers about such untoward incidents in Bangladesh.

He said the buyers want to know whether the local manufacturers would be able to ship the orders in time amid such labour unrest.

Repeated labour unrest may shake the buyers’ sentiment, Mamoon added.

He said the group has also recently entered real estate business and invested Tk 140 crore to construct Nina Holding on the city’s Tejgaon-Gulshan link road for commercial space rent.

The RMG exporters are now facing price-cut pressure from the international buyers amid recession, he said. “But we fear labour unrest the most than the recession.”

reefat@thedailystar.net

Govt to simplify one-stop service in industries

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Govt to simplify one-stop service in industries
Says Dilip Barua

Unb, Dhaka

Industries Minister Dilip Barua said yesterday the government wants to simplify the one-stop service in the industrial sector to encourage investment by foreign entrepreneurs and expatriate Bangladeshis.

“The one-stop service facility will be made effective by simplifying legal and procedural formalities to encourage investment by foreign entrepreneurs and expatriate Bangladeshis,” he said at the national forum on City Cluster Economic Development in South Asian Countries in Dhaka.

Asian Development Bank organised the programme in cooperation with the Centre for Urban Studies (CUS) and Strategic Planning and Management Services (SPMS), Australia, at a city hotel with CUS Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam in the chair.

SPMS International Project Coordinator Prof Brian Roberts, CUS Secretary Prof Nurul Islam Nazem, President of Bangladesh Economic Association Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed and ADB representative Dr Kay Cheo, among others, attended the programme.

Speaking as chief guest, the industries minister said the investment policy would be geared to implement a strategy that would attract both domestic and foreign investment.

Emphasising the cluster industrial zone, he said the government is going to set up special economic zone in a coordinated way to ensure balanced economic activities and industrialisation across the country.

“We have allocated lands and made available other facilities to set up plastic industries in Keraniganj and pharmaceutical plants at Gajaria in Munshiganj.”

Barua said the government would give priority to agro-based and labour-intensive industries while highest priority would be given to information technology (IT) and knowledge-based industrial sectors.

He said development of shipbuilding and IT industries, strengthening textile sectors, and expansion of food processing, plastic, automobile, ceramic, pharmaceuticals, leather, chemical products, toy, jewellery and furniture industries would be given all out support for expanding markets at home and abroad.

Measures will be put in place, he assured, to protect indigenous industries and assistance will be provided for expansion of small, medium and cottage industries.

The minister said the government would ensure expansion of tourism sector, increased labor export and investment of remittance in productive sectors.

Rapid expansion of stock market, maintenance of law and order, and eliminating corruption are the key areas where the government will take effective measures, he added.

The CUS chairman urged the government and stakeholders concerned to pursue an environmental policy for the three cities — Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna — as 50 percent of the total population of the country reside in these cities in order to work in urban industries or related organisations.

He said the urban sector of Bangladesh has a share of 25 percent of its population and they contribute more than 60 percent to the GDP.

Prof Nazrul suggested that a comprehensive policy should be taken for the cities as there are no urban and transportation policies now.

Talking to the reporters after the function, Barua said the industries ministry would soon start training around 10,000 women as part of the government’s efforts for generating employment.

Dhaka would have to depend on Delhi for water after 2020

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Dhaka would have to depend on Delhi for water after 2020

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh will have to totally depend on India for all its water resources coming from that country after 2020 when India will complete its river linking project, speakers said at a seminar here on Monday.

Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) organised the seminar on ‘Water Security’ at the CIRDAP auditorium with BIPSS president Maj Gen (retd) Muniruzzaman in the chair.

Three papers were presented at the seminar. These were by Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, on ‘Water security in the context of climate change in Bangladesh:

Decision making at different levels’, Mahfuz Ullah, Regional Councilor of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and secretary general of Centre for Sustainable Development, on ‘Water security: Politico-Economic Considerations’ and Col. (retd) Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury on ‘Impacts of Indian river linking projects on water security of Bangladesh’.

Col. (retd) Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury in his paper said that after 2020 Bangladesh would have to be dependent on India for having water from the rivers that come from India.

He said friendship will not work to prevent India from going ahead with its river linking project as the friendship did not work in 1972 when India constructed the Farakka Barrage even though the friendship with India then was much stronger than now. In order to finding a way to stop India from implementing its river linking project, which will destroy Bangladesh’s environment, he said that Bangladesh would have to raise the issue at every multilateral forum.

“We have to put it in the United Nations, we have to put it in all international forums to stop India’s river lining project,” said Col. (retd) Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury.

Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, put emphasis on building a national consensus beyond the party politics.

He said that as the issue is related with the fate of the whole nation, the political parties would have to come forward on this particular issue, rising above party politics.

Dr Atiq Rahman also emphasized on building capacity of the people concerned with the crucial issue.

Shipbuilding to be a priority sector in new export policy

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Shipbuilding to be a priority sector in new export policy

FE Report

The shipbuilding industry is likely to get a place on the list of priority sectors of the new export policy to be announced soon, according to a commerce ministry official.

The other sectors to be on the list are agro and agro-processing products, light engineering, footwear and leather, pharmaceuticals, software and ICT products and home textiles.

The commerce ministry on Sunday arranged an inter-ministerial meeting to discuss the draft export policy.

Bangladesh has become a popular destination to build small sea-going ships as South Korea, China, Vietnam and other countries pursue for larger container ships.

Foreign buyers are now coming to the country as ship building in East Asian countries has become more costly due to steep wage increases.

The country exported its first ship built by Ananda Shipyard and Slipways Ltd last year and about half a dozen entrepreneurs are ready to enter the market with big investment.

Ananda alone has struck deals worth around $225 million to build at least 24 vessels, including six ferries for leading companies in Denmark, Germany and Mozambique.

The meeting asked the committee responsible for drafting the policy to come up with new and potential industries within a week for inclusion in the highest priority sector list, the official said.

“Potential and new sectors will be given preference for export product diversification,” he added.

In the meeting, a representative from the readymade garment sector demanded that the RMG sector should be included in the list but the committee felt that the sector does not need special attention, he added.

“It is a matured industry with export value of $10 billion and it can withstand any adverse impact without any special attention,” he explained.

A representative also asked for the inclusion of the ceramic industry in the list but the meeting observed that the industry does not have the capacity to cater to the export demand, he said.

“Even if we give them extra facility under the export policy what will be the use as their export volume is insignificant,” he added.

Stakeholders put forward their recommendations which have also been included in the export policy to make it more business-friendly, the official said.

About lending for export, the meeting said commercial banks will provide loans as per instruction from the Bangladesh Bank, he said.

“The central bank will encourage the scheduled banks to lend to the listed sectors at lower rate and may fix a maximum interest rate ceiling in this regard,” he added.

The country earned $12.82 billion from export in the first 10 months of the last fiscal with the major earning coming from readymade garment sector.

Construction of deep-sea port at Sonadia to begin next year

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Construction of deep-sea port at Sonadia to begin next year

By Kashem Mahmud

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, July 12 (BSS) – The construction of a deep-sea port near Sonadia island in Cox’s Bazar will start in the next year and the port is expected to come into operation by 2020.

Shipping ministry sources said the much-expected deep-sea port will be constructed at a cost of about Taka 60,000 crore.

The project will be implemented in three phases. In the first phase, nine jetty-berths will be constructed at a cost of Taka 13,000 crore.

A technical and economic study report on the deep-sea port will be placed in an inter-ministerial meeting in Dhaka on July 15. The meeting, to be held at the shipping ministry, will review the report and finalise it.

According to sources, an eight-member inter-ministerial committee led by the shipping minister will finalise the report after necessary modifications to send it to the cabinet and the Executive Committee of National Economic Council [ECNEC].

Other members of the committee are the cabinet secretary, the finance secretary, the planning secretary, the economic relations division secretary, the Security and Exchange Commission chairman and the chairmen of Chittaging and Mongla port authorities.

The construction of the deep-sea port was an election pledge of the Awami League-led grand alliance.

The shipping ministry has taken the deep-sea port construction as a priority project to develop the entire region as a business hub.

Shipping Minister Dr Afsarul Amin told BSS that after selection of the site for the deep-sea port, the techno-economic study has been completed and the review of the report would be held at the ministry on July 15.

The process is underway to place the project at the cabinet, pre-ECNEC and ECNEC soon, he added.

The minister said this is a project of huge economic potentials for Bangladesh. It will be implemented with public-private joint investment and if required, shares will be floated in the capital market, he added.

Thirteen percent of the estimated expenditure of the deep-sea port will be taken from the Chittagong seaport.

Chittagong Port Authority Chairman Commodore RU Ahmed said the consultant firm has prepared the draft report on the deep-sea port after hydrographic and other studies.

If developed as a transhipment port like those in Singapore and Colombo, this port will be able to attract the neighbouring countries. This port will also play a big role in keeping the country’s economy vibrant, he added.

Engineer Muhammad Khademul Bashar, deputy manager of Chittagong Port Authority and member of five-member technical committee in aid of consultant firm Pacific Consultants International (Japan), said the study of the deep-sea port had continued for three years and about a 2,500-page draft report was finalised in nine volumes.

Long wait for high- speed wireless broadband finally over

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2009/07/13/72823.html

Long wait for high- speed wireless broadband finally over

Mehdi Musharraf Bhuiyan

The country’s two WiMax operators are finally set to soft-launch services early next month, propelling Bangladesh to the era of high-speed wireless broadband after a long and bumpy wait.

Banglalion and Augure — the two private WiMax licensees — are now ready and waiting to go for trial operation after securing deals with the top global vendors for setting up their networks.

After bargaining with a dozen of big names in world high tech industry, Banglalion has settled with French technology giant Alcatel-Lucent, which would initially supply 100 base stations (BTS) to be set up in the capital.

“We signed the deal with Alcatel-Lucent on Thursday. We hope we can now set up the BTS as early as possible and launch our experimental services by the middle of next month,” a top Banglalion official told the FE.

Augure has paired with China’s largest networking and telecom hardware vendor Huawei for the supply of BTS and its officials said the company could go for trial kick-off at the end of this month.

“Our final hurdle was finding the right vendor. But after the deal with Huawei, we can now concentrate on setting up the BTSs and selecting a date for formal launching,” an Augure official said.

The companies were supposed to commence their services as early as March this year, but a credit dry-up and uncertain economic scenario due to the global recession stood in their way.

Their officials later announced that they would launch the service in June. But the difficulty in finding the right vendor delayed the process further.

Explaining the delay, an official in Banglalion said, “Previously, we have held talks with Samsung and others, but Samsung was more interested in outdoor BTS which would have been a more expensive option.”

“Instead, we opted for the safer and less expensive indoor BTS and Alcatel-Lucent agreed to our requirement,” he added.

Beginning with 15 base stations, Banglalion’s network would be extended to 300 BTS to cover the whole Dhaka city by the end of this year, the official said.

The two WiMax licensees, who have said that they would invest Tk 10 billion in the information super highway, are aiming to go for commercial operation within two months once the trial operation commenced.

Officials said much before they kick off their high-speed wireless broadband, they have been flooded with tens of thousands of prospective subscribers.

“Already around 50,000 users have registered online to subscribe to our service,” said a Banglalion official.

“Also, there are many who are interested in availing telemedicine, video conferencing and e-learning services. Everyday their number is piling up,” he said, pointing to the manifold business potential of WiMax.

The country’s telecom regulator auctioned off three WiMax licensees in August last year in an effort to tap into the business potentials the high-speed broadband services can generate.

BanglaLion Communication, BRAC BD Mail Network Ltd and Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Ltd won the bidding by agreeing to pay US$215 million each. However, BRAC later refused to take the license.

Speculation still reigns over the market potential of such ambitious and expensive business venture, which would usher the country to the 4G era of wireless communication system.

Bangladesh company to invest US$ 3.064 million in Chittagong EPZ

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Bangladesh company to invest US$ 3.064 million in Chittagong EPZ

DHAKA, Bangladesh, July 12 (BSS) – A Bangladesh company M/s Tube Rose Denim Limited is to set up a Garments Manufacturing Industry in the Chittagong Export Processing Zone.

This 100 per cent locally owned company will invest US$ 3.064 million in setting up the unit and will produce garments item. The company will also create employment opportunity for 645 officials and empoyees including five foreign nationals.

An agreement to this effect was signed between the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority and the M/s Tube Rose Denim Limited in BEPZA Complex, here today.

Prasanta Bhushan Barua, Member (Investment Promotion) of BEPZA and Subrata Biswas, Managing Director of M/s/ Tube Rose Denim Limited signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.

Other officials from the respective organizations were present on the occasion.

Orange farming gains ground

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Orange farming gains ground

Farmers are turning their attention to orange cultivation in Panchagarh, a northern district with sandy, alluvial soil. Photo: STAR

Kongkon Karmaker, Dinajpur

Favourable soil and weather conditions in Panchagarh have put orange farming in the spotlight.

Panchagarh is a moderately drought-prone area, but there are a few spots that are ideal for orange cultivation — due to its proximity to the Himalayas. Its soil is largely sandy and alluvial and bears close affinity with the soil of the old Himalayan basin.

The popular fruit has the potential to become a cash crop for farmers in the four upazilas of the Panchagarh district, sector people said.

The Horticulture Department, District Agriculture Department and Orange Orchard Development Board have taken steps to help orange farming flourish in the northern district.

The first orange farming project was introduced in 2006 with some Indian varieties, including Khashiya and Nagpuri being widely cultivated in Shiliguri, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling of India.

Ashim Kumar Paul, an official of Panchagarh Orange Orchard Development Project, said Panchagarh oranges would hit the international market by 2011, after meeting domestic demand.

At least 1,000 people have so far been trained and about 100 hectares of land in different upazilas of Panchagarh have been marked for orange cultivation. An additional 100 hectares of land will be brought under orange cultivation, as the district is fixing the production target at about 500,000 tonnes.

Hundreds of interested villagers in the area also planted orange trees around their homes.

According to a 2003 survey, at least 1,450 hectares of land in four upazilas of the district are ideal for orange cultivation — 400 hectares in Tetulia, 400 hectares in Panchagarh, 300 hectares in Atwari and 350 hectares in Boda.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) along with the Horticulture Orange Orchard Development Department took steps to encourage farmers to cultivate oranges in 2006.

In 1998, Md Mominul Islam of DAE distributed orange plants among farmers, which brought in good yield.

The Horticulture Department in collaboration with the Panchagarh Orange Orchard Development Board has also organised awareness programmes — “Scope for Commercial Orange Cultivation” — to educate farmers.

“A large number of farmers in the district have begun orange production this year,” said an official who visited several orchards.

Achinta Kumar Roy of Shardarpara village under Boda upazila said his orchard produced oranges this year. “This new crop is inspiring many farmers in the area to follow suit,” Roy said.

However, the sweet fruit from the district is yet to reach local markets.

“Since the availability of water is a major consideration for this fruit, we have identified certain areas that are ideal in this regard,” said Paul. “The orange cultivation project has so far received encouraging response from the farmers in the district.”

The Panchagarh Orange Orchard Development Project official said efforts would be made to popularise orange cultivation in the district by involving various agencies associated with the crop, based on modern techniques.

BSF firings kill 2 more Bangladeshis

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BSF firings kill 2 more Bangladeshis
Our Correspondents, Dinajpur and Kushtia

Indian Border Security Force yesterday killed two Bangladeshis–a farmer and a cattle trader– on the borders of Dinajpur and Chuadanga.

The deceased were identified as Yakub Ali, 27, son of Mohiz Ali of South Daudpur in Birampur upazila of Dinajpur and Badruzzaman, 40, son of Safiuddin of Nastipur in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga.

BSF troops from 57 Gobindapur camp opened fire on Yakub, while he was working in the field about 100 metres inside Bangladesh border at Daudpur around 10:30am, leaving him critically injured, BDR officials of 40 Battalion at Phulbari said quoting witnesses.

Yakub was rushed to Birampur Upazila Health Complex and died at about 11:55am, BDR sources added.

After the incident, the villagers burst into protest but the BDR men at Daudpur border outpost restrained the villagers.

BDR officials protested the unprovoked firing of BSF.

In another incident, BSF troops from Gobindapur camp of Nadia district opened fire on three Bangladeshi cattle traders when they were returning home through the Baradi border point of Chuadanga at about 5:00am, BDR sources said.

The shooting left Bodruzzaman dead on the spot, while two others escaped unhurt.

BSF members took away the body, sources said.

BDR of 35-rifles battalion sent letters to its counterpart protesting the killing and demanding immediate return of the body.

The killing took place at a time when the BDR-BSF summit meeting is in progress in Dhaka.

More apparel buyers look to Bangladesh

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More apparel buyers look to Bangladesh

A worker is seen at a garment factory in Dhaka. Foreign buyers are now shifting orders to Bangladesh for readymade products as the global financial meltdown shows some signs of recovery. Photo: Epyllion Group

Refayet Ullah Mirdha

With the signs of economic recovery in the western world, foreign buyers now lean towards Bangladesh’s readymade (RMG) products, placing orders at an enhanced rate.

Major companies say they are now busy with making sweaters, as buyers are increasingly placing orders for the item in the upcoming winter season.

The country is in an advantageous position with cheap and quality apparels because its competitors like China, Pakistan and India are losing out their market share for their higher cost of production, said Nazrul Islam Swapan, managing director of Nassa Group, an apparel manufacturing giant.

“If the current improvement in the global financial crisis continues, it will be a boon for Bangladesh’s apparel makers next June,” Swapan said with conviction.

Higher cost of production and shifting to high-end products have driven China out of the apparel market, while Pakistan lost its reputation because it has long been a trouble-torn country, the Nassa Group boss pointed out.

India is also struggling to sustain competition, as its cost of production remains high, Swapan thinks.

“All of my units are pre-occupied with an increased number of international buying orders,” he said. Nassa has more than 36 production units right now.

Chairman of SQ Group Ghulam Faruque said he has also received significant number of orders from renowned western retailers, as the global financial meltdown shows signs of recovery by a certain degree.

Faruque is happy with the increased volume of export orders for sweater, but not with the price the buyers now offer for the item. “The problem lies with the price. It’s too low to sustain, but we continue production to stay on competition,” the chief of the SQ Group, another leading apparel maker, lamented, pointing to the fact that the UK buyers are still offering the previous price. “We want higher price to be more competitive,” he added.

Managing Director of DEKKO Group Shahadat Hossain Kiron’s view on the increased buying orders is similar to others.

‘The quantity of orders is higher than it was last year,” Kiron told The Daily Star over phone from Canada, the country he is touring now.

“The quantity is satisfactory, but the problem is price. The western buyers are not paying us a reasonable price, ” he said.

However, he pointed out that Bangladesh’s low-priced but quality products attract international buyers.

Chairman and Managing Director of Viyellatex Group K M Rezaul Hasanat, who is very upbeat on the country’s future prospects for RMG exports, poins to the fact that Bangladesh is now on top priority list of Japan, one of the largest clothing markets.

Hasanat said a good number of Japanese are coming to Bangladesh as the Tokyo government advised the buyers to relocate 30 percent of their businesses to other countries than China.

“As a result, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are on the priority list of Japanese buyers,” he said.

He expects a further rise in orders in 15 days from now, as international buyers are coming here for winter collection.

reefat@thedailystar.net

Solar power seen as alternative energy source for irrigation

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Solar power seen as alternative energy source for irrigation
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka

Experts suggests use of solar power driven water pumps as a major alternate source of irrigation for better crop yields in a power-starved country like Bangladesh.

‘Solar power could be used as an alternative source of electricity for irrigation to ease the country’s acute power crisis by reducing load of 700 to 800 MW in a day,’ former DG of Power Cell BD Rahmatullah on Saturday told the news agency.

The government could take initiatives to transform the irrigation pumps into solar pumps for saving power and fuel as two pilot projects of solar irrigation plants are already working successfully in the country, he said.

‘Against the backdrop of power crisis, we should look at more to the renewable energy like other countries and I am reiterating that Bangladesh has the potentiality of producing 3,500MW from renewable sources,’ the former power cell chief added.

In the country, presently state-owned power plants generate only 3,500MW of electricity a day, whereas demand is 6,000MW. The demand is growing by 500MW a year due to increasing industrialisation.

Rahmatullah said the cost of solar panels is high, no doubt about it, but solar energy’s unique attributes to needing no fuel, high durability and reliability and being able to operate for longer periods without maintenance, make it economical for all types of applications.

He said the government can come forward with financial package for the farmers to transfer all shallow pumps into solar ones to save the electricity and consumption of fuel.

Adequacy of sunshine in our country makes the solar power eligible for agriculture irrigation especially for the boro crop as it is harvested during dry season, said agriculture expert M Shariful Rahman, Principal of Moniharpur Agriculture Training Institute, who runs a solar irrigation pump on a pilot basis inside his institute in Bogra district.

‘I ran the solar pump during the last boro season and successfully irrigated around 15 acres inside my institute,’ he said.

The solar panel, which was installed by the Waste Concern, a voluntary organisation, on a pilot basis has the capacity of producing maximum of 1.4 kilowatt of electricity and 6000 litres of water in a day.

Waste Concern executive director Maqsood Sinha said Bangladesh presently Has 11 lakh shallow tube-wells, out of which 9.03 lakh is diesel driven while the rest 1.97 lakh electricity-run.

‘In order to make the farmers independent of price increase of diesel, as well as to tide over the scarcity of diesel, there is a good opportunity to provide irrigation through solar powered system,’ he said.

Director of Waste Concern Iftekhar Enayetullah said the price of solar pump along with solar panel is about Taka four to six lakh which has a life of 15 years.

‘A farmer holding 25 bighas of land spends Tk 75,000 per year for irrigation, therefore, simple pay back period is roughly 6.3 years whereas the life of the solar pumps is 15 years,’ he said.

Like Waste Concern, Rahimafrooz Bangladesh, which is a pioneer in making batteries of solar panel locally, also installed another solar pump in Chapainawabganj district through a non-government organization.

Country can export refrigerators, motorbikes: Faruq Khan

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Country can export refrigerators, motorbikes: Faruq Khan

DHAKA,Bangladesh,July 11 (BSS)- Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruq Khan today said it was possible to export refrigerators and motor bikes of international standard produced in the country after meeting domestic demand.

He was visiting production process of Walton Hitech Industries Limited of Arby Group at Chandra under Gazipur district.

The factory can produce six-lakh refrigerators and 1,0,8000 motor bikes every year, which is more than the country’s total demand.

During the visit, the minister went round different production units and exchanged views with the owners and workers.

Managing Director of Arby Group Nurul Alam Rizvi, Chairman of Walton Hitech Industries ASM Shamsul Alam, Managing Director Ashraful Alam and deputy commissioner of Gazipur were present, an official release said.

Appreciating quality production of the factory, Faruq Khan said that refrigerators and motorbikes produced here could easily be exported and assured of all cooperation from the government side in flourishing this sector.

Expressing satisfaction over the prevailing good relations between the owners and the workers, the minister said country’s skilled workers could prove their worthiness if they are provided with expected jobs.

As part of building digital Bangladesh, he said the commerce ministry would introduce e-commerce very soon and activities of the ministry could be monitored through its web-sites.

The factory management declared reduction of Taka 200 in each refrigerator and increasing salary of every worker by Taka 200.

Herbal medicines get new lease of life

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Herbal medicines get new lease of life

Herbal medicines are increasingly popular in local and global markets. More than 20 firms seek licences to come into the sector.

Sohel Parvez

Herbal medicines are set to witness an investment boost as over 20 companies have lined up for licences from the drug administration to manufacture such medicines to exploit business potentials in the sector, still almost untapped, industry people said.

“A new avenue for herbal medicine has opened up as many investors are looking for venturing in making such medicines,” a senior official of Directorate of Drug Administration told The Daily Star.

Officials said the drug regulator has received nearly two dozens of applications seeking approval to make herbal medicine. Of the applicants, four got licences and around 20 companies are awaiting approval.

“So far we have cleared four applications. We are also in process of giving approval to some more companies,” the official added.

The latest approval was given to Radiant Nutraceuticals Ltd, which is set to join the foray with three existing operators — Square, ACME and Modern — with Square Herbal and Nutraceuticals being the pioneer in the segment.

“We have opted for herbal medicine making with an aim to tap the export potential. The global market for herbal medicine is huge and many people in the West are showing growing interests,” said MM Asad Ullah, in-charge of Square Herbal and Nutraceuticals Ltd, a concern of Square Group.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), as many as 80 percent of world’s people rely on traditional medicines for their primary healthcare and remedies, and the use of traditional medicines is rising in the developed economies such as Europe and America.

Industry people said the global market for medicinal plant products is estimated to be more than $60 billion a year.

At present, China and India supply bulk of the plant drugs demand to the global market.

In Bangladesh, demand for herbal medicine is also on the rise.

Industry insiders said allopathic pharma market in Bangladesh is worth around Tk 4,000 crore, while the market size for herbal medicines including Ayurvedic and Unani stands at more than Tk 1,000 crore.

Industry people observed that scopes to exploit the untapped herbal medicine now lure investors to the segment with majority of applications coming from new investors along with allopathic drug makers.

Stakeholders said some of the well-known allopathic drug makers are gearing up for establishing herbal medicine units.

The sector started pulling attention after the government had endorsed herbal medicine in the drug policy along with two other traditional branches of medicine — Ayurvedic and Unani.

Later the sector received a further boost as the government termed herbs and herbal medicine as one of the five priority sectors to diversify the country’s export basket.

Industry people observed that Bangladesh has prospect in making footsteps on the global market for medicinal plant and products as nearly 650 medicinal plant species have been identified to be in use in Bangladesh with around 25 plants having high value.

Sector people said herbal medicine differs from Ayurvedic and Unani medicines due to its unique manufacturing process, although all the three branches of medicine depend mainly on medicinal plants.

“Our manufacturing process is different from Ayurvedic and Unani. We also use modern technology,” said Asad of Square Herbal, which has so far launched 8 medicinal products.

He also said businesses of Ayurvedic and Unani medicines would not be hurt by the growth of herbal medicines. “Rather a new market will be created,” he added.

To push the sector forward, the drug administrator has recently set a definition for herbal medicine and selected a set of reference books for manufacturers to follow while making herbal medicines.

The regulator has also finalised testing criteria to boost the sector and expedite the process of giving approval to the prospective licence seekers.

The licence awarding process was slow earlier in absence of a definition, testing criteria and reference, industry people said.

“Finalisation of these criteria will assist us to clear the applications faster to help grow the sector in a disciplined manner,” said the official of the Drug Administration.

sohel@thedailystar.net

Students eager to show off robotic skills

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=96418

Asia-Pacific Robot Contest 2009
Students eager to show off robotic skills

Buet students and their teacher test robots at the laboratory of mechanical engineering department. Photo: STAR

Ershad Kamol

The Bangladesh team is set to show off their robotic skills in the upcoming ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest 2009 to be held in Tokyo, Japan in August.

The team comprising the students of mechanical engineering department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) has developed three highly technically advanced robots, which are ready for shipment to Japan for participation in the contest.

These autonomous robots can move through steep slopes and sharply winding roads to a certain destination and can take further decisions after reaching the goal. No camera is installed with the robots to reach the target, rather these robots function through pre-programmed control system.

In the competition that will take place at the gymnasium of the Metropolitan Komazawa Olympic Park in Tokyo on August 21 and 22, the Bangladesh team will compete with 21 teams from technically advanced countries of the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, China, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Egypt.

The Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) has been organising this competition annually since 2002. The event is widely known as ABU Robocon, which is an international educational event with a fresh and unique concept for university, college, and polytechnic students in the Asia Pacific region.

The four-member Bangladeshi team comprising three students and a teacher will leave Dhaka on August 20. Saiful Islam Mithu is the team leader while Mezbahur Rahman Evan and Omar Bin Yusuf are other members of the team. Their teacher Dr M Zahurul Haq will participate in the game as their instructor.

Cooperation between people and robots is the theme of this year’s contest. The technical requirements of this year’s contest is more advanced than the previous years’ arrangement, since the organisers have conceived of this year as a step towards the goal of close cooperation between manual (or directly human-controlled) and automatic robots.

The core item of this year’s contest is Kago, the traditional Japanese palanquin of the pre-modern era, which was used to carry the traditional Samurais by two men, one in front and the other behind, to distant places. Following the tradition, three robots from each participating team will travel a distance in the competition.

Like the Kago carriers of the ancient time, an Automatic Carrier Robot will lead a Manual Carrier Robot to carry a Traveller Robot, which is also an Automatic Robot, on a replica of a Kago to a distance of about 80 metres through replicas of mountains, steep slopes, and sharply winding roads. At the end the robots will reach a bell and the traveller robot will have to ring the bell.

“That is not an easy challenge,” said Dr M Zahurul Haq. “During the three-minute delicate game, everything will have to be done by the robots without any intervention from the participants.”

“This year’s competition is really challenging because some conditions of the game such as the carrier robots will not be allowed to touch the surface except the zigzag path through slopes and they must adjust the seat of the Traveller Robot so that it does not slide or fall even if the seat is inclined by 20 degrees in either the longitudinal or the transverse direction during the travel,” he adds.

According to Dr M Zahurul Haq, Bangladeshi robots will be able to maintain all the requirements of the game, since the robots are more intelligent and well controlled.

“The automatic robots developed for the competition will be controlled through high-speed censor-based communication system. The control system receives 1000 commands per second for taking the corrective measures during the game, earlier the movement of the robots was movement dependent,” he said.

Buet students have been participating in this annual competition since 2005 and won the prestigious Panasonic Award in the Robocon contest in 2005.

All these robots have been developed under a regular project for the undergraduate students of the department of Mechanical Engineering at Buet.

This year, about 12 students under the supervision of Dr Haq have developed these robots with used motor parts, aluminum sheet, nylon fibre, steel sheet and other materials collected from the city’s Dholaikhal and Patuatuli areas. Importing the micro-controller chips and hardware from the US, Dr Haq developed the control system.

On the limitations of developing robots here, Dr Haq said that they have to use reverse engineering due to lack of raw materials in the country.

“We collect the used motor parts and censors from old Dhaka and design the robots based on the shape and capacity of these components. High-speed communication system and other chips have to be collected from the US,” he added.

He said there is a huge scope for the industrial applications of robots in delicate and repetitive works in Bangladesh. Moreover, robots can be used to develop the defence system of the country such as mine detection purpose.

For sustainable development of robotics in the country, Dr Haq suggested that the industry be developed gradually in different phases.

Prospect of medicine export to CIS countries bright

http://www.theindependent-bd.com/details.php?nid=133306

Prospect of medicine export to CIS countries bright
ECONOMIC REPORTER

There is bright prospect of export of standard quality medicines produced in Bangladesh to CIS countries including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Both the countries import 90 per cent of medicines from abroad. Besides, there is also immense potentialities to set up joint venture pharmaceutical industries between Bangladesh and the two CIS countries.

This was revealed following a visit to both the countries by as delegation of Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) led by its adviser SM Shafiuzzaman from June 28 to July 6.

During the visit, the delegation observed that the government should expedite diplomatic activities with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, which achieved independence after breaking apart of the former Soviet Union.

The delegation also was of the view that pharmaceutical products of Bangladesh worth over Tk 100 crore could be exported to the CIS countries in future with proper diplomatic efforts, enhancement of competent manpower in Bangladesh’s embassies and in CIS countries where there was no representation of the country.

The objective of the visit of Bangladesh pharmaceutical delegation to the CIS countries was to explore and expand markets of medicines produced in the country abroad.

During its visit, the Bangladesh delegation held talks with Health Minister of Uzbekistan Prof A Ikramov and high officials of his ministry. It was apprised of the health minister that presently Bangladesh exports medicine of international standard to 72 countries.

At the talks, the Uzbek Health Minister showed keen interest to import medicine produced in Bangladesh within the shortest possible time and setting up of joint-venture medicine producing industries with Bangladesh.

In this regard, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between Uzbek State-Joint-Stock Concern-Uzpharmsanoat and BAPI.

Later, the Bangladesh pharmaceutical delegation had talks with vice-chairman of the committee on health and medicine affairs of health ministry of Kazaksthan and other high officials.

The delegation apprised of the Kazakh officials in details about the pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh. Besides, the delegation had separate rounds of fruitful talks with Pharmaceutical Importers Association and Manufacturers Association and large-scale importers of both the countries.

A number of Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) also were signed between different pharmaceutical companies of the country and established importing companies of both the countries.

Bangladesh Ambassador in Tashkent Hasib Aziz extended all sorts of cooperation to the Bangladesh delegation during the visit.

BAPI secretary general and managing director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd Abdul Muktadir, vice-president and managing director Medimet Pharmaceuticals Ltd Khondokar Tariq-ul-Islam, director of the drug administration directorate Md Ismail Hossain, director (planning and commercial) of Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd Ms Akhter Jahan Hasnin Muktadir, BAPI executive committee member and managing director of Edruc Ltd Feroz Uddin Khan, BAPI executive committee member and executive director of Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Ltd Md Halimuzzaman, BAPI member and director (marketing) of Biopharma Laboratories Ltd Dr Liaquat Ullah and business development manager Md Sami Akhter and director of the Export Promotion Bureau Omar Faruque were the other members of the Bangladesh pharmaceutical delegation, according to a press release of BAPI.