Each varsity to get net connectivity

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‘Each varsity to get net connectivity’
Staff Correspondent

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam on Tuesday said all the universities of the country would be brought under internet connectivity and libraries be digitised under ‘Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP)’.

Inaugurating a two-day workshop on ‘Academic innovation fund’ at the commission’s office in the city, the UGC chairman said, “Such project to enhance the quality of higher education has been undertaken for the first time in the country.”

Fund starting from Tk 21 lakh to Tk seven crore would be granted for research and training projects which would be selected through competition, he said.

Gradually, the private universities would also be included in the project, he added.

Earlier on May 14, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid inaugurated the ‘Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP)’ funded by the World Bank.

The workshop was also addressed by UGC member Prof Md Tajul Islam and HEQEP Project Director Ruknuddin Ahmed.

Around 84 representatives, including registrars, deans and directors (planning and development) of the 28 public universities, were present.

Turkey-Bangla chamber keen to re-open Rajshahi Textile Mills

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Turkey-Bangla chamber keen to re-open Rajshahi Textile Mills

RAJSHAHI, July 9 (BSS): Turkey-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TBCCI) showed interest in reopening the Rajshahi Textile Mills, which remained non-functional for the last couple of years.

The interest was shown when a TBCCI delegation called on Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton at the latter’s office Wednesday.

The delegation members during the discussion expressed their keen interest in further development of trade and business relations between Bangladesh and Turkey and establishment of educational institutions and hospitals in Rajshahi city.

The region has enormous prospect of establishing industries and it only needs entrepreneurs to make the sector flourish , they held.

There is a large demand of garments and different other fancy products especially handicrafts and silk items in the Turkish markets and the region can earn a huge amount of foreign currency through exporting the items, they mentioned.

Due importance should be given to encourage the entrepreneurs to invest in the region by providing them with all sorts of necessary facilities to attain the goal, the delegation said.

The RCC mayor urged the local and foreign entrepreneurs to invest in the region as it had requisite facilities including sound law and order and road, rail and air communication and low labour and management cost.

He assured the interested investors of all cooperation.

He said a garment industry was going to start here for the first time creating job opportunities.

Training programme was also being conducted here for creating skilled manpower.

Besides, gas supply in the region through pipeline would begin immediately and the process for establishing a 125-megawatt power generation plant was underway to promote the industrial sector, he said.

He expressed the hope that the region would become a viable place for any medium and big industries in near future.

“We are committed to making the region economically solvent through encouraging the industrial sector”, he added.

TBCCI president Fikret Cicek and member Murad Karka, Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) president Abu Bakkar Ali and its member Imtiaz Ahmed Shamsul Huda Kislu attended the meeting.

Later, the TBCCI delegation held a bilateral discussion with RCCI in its conference hall to devise ways and means to make the industrial sector in the region flourish.

Prospect of producing 1000 MW electricity from Biogas bright

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Prospect of producing 1000 MW electricity from Biogas bright

New Nation Desk

There is prospect of producing 1,000MW electricity from Biogas and if the opportunity is utilized the growing shortage of electricity could be solved in this power-starved country.

The government agency Infrastructure Development Company Limited sources said Bangladesh has 215,000 poultry farms and 15,000 cattle farms. Establishing biogas plants in these farms, electricity could be generated. So far 35,000 biogas plants have been established across the country and these plants are producing gas, which is being used for cooking purposes in the rural areas.

The agency has set a target of establishing 60,000 biogas plants by 2012. One plant produces on an average 94.22 squire feet gas. At present 33 lakh squire feet biogas is being produced in the country daily.

The livestock directorate said the country had two crore 29 lakh cattle in 2007-08 and the number of buffalo was 1260,000. The agency said they got eight crore tons of cow dung in 2004.

With this cow dung, 30 lakh biogas plants could be run. One biogas plant costs 28,000 crore taka, generator for production of electricity costs between taka 30,000 and 50,000 and other costs 6,000 taka.

One bio-gas based plant could be set up at a cost between 64,000 to 84,000 taka and the production of electricity depends on availability of cow dung.

BSF shoots four traders dead

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BSF shoots four traders dead
3-day BDR-BSF meeting begins July 12
Staff Correspondent

The three-day top-level talks between border guard officials of Bangladesh and India is scheduled to begin in the capital on July 12 against the backdrop of the killing of at least 60 unarmed Bangladeshis by the India’s Border Security Force (BSF) this year.

The United News Agency of Bangladesh on Thursday reported that four cattle traders were shot dead by the BSF along the Panchbhulat border in Jessore district on Thursday morning.

The deceased were identified as Ahmed Ali, 24, Sabuj, 18, and Saddam Hossain, 22, all of whom hailed from Panchbhulat village.

With the Thursday’s killing taken into account, at least 60 Bangladeshi nationals dwelling along the porous Indo-Bangla border were slain this year by the BSF till July 9, 2009.

The director general-level conference between the Bangladesh Rifles and the BSF will be held at the BDR headquarters and will touch a wide range of border security and border management issues, including that of cross-border smuggling, according to an official announcement on Thursday.

An 18-member BSF delegation, led by ML Kumawat, will arrive in Dhaka on Saturday to participate in the conference.

The DG of the BDR, Major General Mainul Islam, will lead a 24-member side at the talks, the second such meeting between the two countries after the February 25-26 murder of almost all the top commanders of the BDR in a bloody mutiny.

‘Officials from the home, foreign and land ministries, and members of the Bangladesh-India Joint Rivers Commission will also participate in the conference,’ said the release.

The UNB’s report, referring to BDR sources, said that when the three cattle traders were returning from India along with some cattle, BSF troopers of Barnabaria camp opened fire on them, killing them on the spot, at about 4am. The BSF troopers later took away the dead bodies to their camp.

A tense situation has been prevailing in the border area after the incident.

Eskayef enters UK medicine market

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Eskayef enters UK medicine market
Sayeda Akter

Eskayef Bangladesh Ltd, a leading pharmaceutical company in the country, has started exporting medicines to a UK firm from this month, the company’s managing director said.

“Initially, we have got an export order of Diuretics and Omeprazole worth around $3 million from the UK drug company and we have sent our first consignment to that country on Monday,” said AM Faruque, adding that his company would complete the export by September.

“We have got approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of UK in August 2008, which allows us to export pharmaceutical products to the European market,” he said.

Faruque said this agency usually takes a long time, even years, to give such a go-ahead, but Eskayef has achieved it in only eight months because the company complies with the MHRA requirements, including quality assessment and hygiene maintenance.

“In addition, with this order we have been allowed to export non-sterile production of tablets, capsules and granules (commonly known as pellets), which would help us grow further, both locally and globally,” he went on.

He said his company eyes raising exports to $5 million in 2009 from $3 million a year ago.

The world-class healthcare solution provider grows at 30 percent a year. The Eskayef MD also believes that the market will grow nearly 15 percent in 2009.

Eskayef manufactures and markets a wide range of therapeutic drugs, bulk pellets and animal health and nutrition products. Its 2008 sales reached $60 million, while the figure was only half a million US dollars in 1990, the year Transcom Group took over the company.

“We have set a target to sell drugs worth Tk 400 crore this year,” the Eskayef top official said.

The countries where Eskayef bulk pellets and finished products are now exported include Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam, Kenya and some Central American countries.

AM Faruque in this context also pointed to his company’s constant efforts to ensure quality medicines for consumers at affordable prices.

There are 250 small, medium and large local and multinational pharmaceutical companies in operation in Bangladesh. Many started their business after 2000 sensing the growth potential in the local market.

Of the 250, top 10 companies, such as Square, Beximco, Eskayef, Incepta, Acme, ACI, Opsonin, Renata, Aristopharma and Drug International take up nearly 70 percent of the total market share, according to the Information on Medical Statistics (IMS) 2008 survey.

sayeda@thedailystar.net

The marauders on the border

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The marauders on the border

There are numerous known incidents of the BSF men crossing the border and entering Bangladeshi territory and killing innocent civilians on their own soil. There has never been any known or reported case of BDR members entering Indian territory or attacking unarmed Indian civilians, writes Nadim Jahangir

A BANGLADESHI cattle trader was killed by Indian Border Security Force along Baraachara border early Saturday. Local people said the BSF troops of the nearby Haridaspur camp caught Rubel, a young man aged 25, after a hot chase late at night when he was returning home after paying money to Indian traders for purchasing cattle. They said the BSF men beat up Rubel indiscriminately and killed him by giving electric shock. Later, they left the body along the border (New Age, June 28). It has become a common phenomenon that the Border Security Force, in the name of border patrol, kills innocent Bangladeshis. The Bangladesh government must take this issue seriously and talk to the Indian counterpart on a regular basis to tackle the crisis.

The Border Security Force is a border patrol agency of the government of India and a component of the Paramilitary Forces of India. Its main role is to guard India’s international borders during peacetime and also prevent trans-national crime. Similarly, Bangladesh has a paramilitary force, the Bangladesh Rifles, mainly assigned to guarding the borders of the country. Apart from its primary task of protecting the borders, the members of the Bangladesh Rifles have taken part in other military operations. This force was ordained with the additional task of checking smuggling in 1958.

However, rather than protecting the borders like the BDR, the BSF members seem to be more occupied with killing innocent Bangladeshi civilians indiscriminately in the name of curbing smuggling and preventing crime. According to a report published in 2005 by a human rights organisation, the BSF killed one Bangladeshi every five days. These figures are definitely alarming. BSF men are known to kill or often kidnap Bangladeshi farmers by labelling them as smugglers or criminals. Some farmers are known to have been kidnapped while they were working on their farms in the border regions of Bangladesh. According to the human rights coalition Odhikar, the BSF has killed 743 Bangladeshis in total and injured 806 and abducted 886 between January 1, 2000 and January 31, 2009.

A lot of tension prevails in the border regions due to this matter. There are often reports of exchange of gunfire between the BDR and the BSF. In some incidents, border guards of both nations are reported to have been seriously injured and, in some cases, killed. Flag meetings are held between BDR and BSF high officials to either protest against or resolve these situations.

In 2001 there was a severe border conflict between the BDR and the BSF. This led to the BSF filing a formal complaint against the BDR accusing them of war crimes. The BDR was accused of killing 16 BSF officials during April 18-20, 2001. The BSF also mentioned in their complaint that only eight bodies could be identified as it was impossible to identify the other bodies due to decomposition and mutilation. In an article titled ‘BSF lodges “war crimes” FIR against BDR. Is right of legitimate self-defence a “war crime”?’, AH Monjurul Kabir, a Chevening scholar and director of Law Watch, a Dhaka-based think-tank on human rights and legal issues, tried to shed light on this rather curious instance. In his article, Kabir defined what war crime means and clearly pointed out how the BDR members could not have been involved in any such activity. He also highlighted several possibilities of what might have caused the bodies to decompose or appear to have been mutilated. The bodies could easily have decomposed as they were recovered 36 hours after the exchange of gunfire started. The bodies were recovered from paddy fields where they had remained in the open for 36 hours. This caused the bodies to decompose. Moreover, the bodies were recovered by villagers once they began to reek. And there was no way that the BDR men could have mutilated the bodies amidst the incessant gunfire. The injuries to the BSF members could also have been caused by the villagers whose houses were attacked and also set ablaze by the BSF members. The villagers could have had struggles with the BSF to protect themselves and their property.

It was surprising how the BSF could accuse the BDR of war crimes because they have a proven record of intruding on Bangladeshi soil and killing civilians without any provocation. Therefore, such an attempt to charge the BDR of war crimes was totally inappropriate and baseless. Because of that conflict 10,000 to 20,000 villagers living in the area had to flee, with at least 17 suffering wounds. Many villages were also destroyed in the fighting.

In a report published by a human rights organisation, it was said that the inhabitants of the border areas in Bangladesh seem to live in constant fear. Not only do the BSF kill innocent Bangladeshis without provocation, there are also reports of women being raped and houses looted. Often the BSF take the dead bodies of the people they kill and do not return them.

There are also rumours regarding some members of both the BSF and the BDR being involved in cattle smuggling in the border areas of India and Bangladesh. An incident related to cattle smuggling left two BDR men dead in July 2008. The media in both India and Bangladesh carried contradictory reports on this incident. Some reports accused the BDR of assisting the cattle smugglers and the BSF men trying to stop them and this led to exchange of gun fire which resulted in the death of two BDR men. Other reports claimed that BSF men had illegally entered into Bangladesh territory. When the BDR became aware of their presence and challenged their intrusion, the BSF men opened fire and killed two BDR men.

In another recent incident that occurred in November 2008, BSF men killed three Bangladeshi civilians including a minor boy in Panchagarh. BDR officials of Pachagarh 25 Battalion reported that around ten drunken BSF men entered Maynaguri village near the Majhipara border, which is at least 500 metres inside Bangladesh, and ransacked several houses. When the villagers protested, the BSF men fired at random, killing three people and wounding one. However, when formal protests were made by BDR officials and flag meeting was held, the BSF expressed their regret for the incident and informed of taking action against the accused person.

This incident also led the BSF to get into legal trouble when the brother of one of the men killed by the BSF in that incident filed a case against them with the aid of the Bangladesh Human Rights Commission. The accused BSF member had been caught by the villagers during the shooting and was later handed over to BSF authorities after the BSF had apologised for the unfortunate incident. The secretary of the Human Rights Commission’s upazila unit, A Rahman Mukul, demanded exemplary punishment of the accused BSF members and compensation for the families of the victims.

There are numerous known incidents of the BSF men crossing the border and entering Bangladeshi territory and killing innocent civilians on their own soil. There has never been any known or reported case of BDR members entering Indian territory or attacking unarmed Indian civilians. In the past five months alone, i.e. January to May, the BSF has killed seven Bangladeshi civilians. Most of these men were Bangladeshi cattle traders.

The Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, justified such merciless killings of the BSF by labelling the victims as ‘criminals and smugglers’. The extrajudicial killings of the BSF cannot be justified this way as they are a violation of national and international laws. It is high time that the Bangladesh government discussed this issue seriously with the Indian government. Rather than holding flag meetings every time BSF invades Bangladeshi territory or kills innocent civilians in the name of curbing crime, some definite steps must be taken to put a stop to this matter permanently and allow the inhabitants of the border areas to live a peaceful life which is free of terror.

Dr Nadim Jahangir is professor and director, School of Business, Independent University, Bangladesh

Western Marine, City Bank sign deal

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Western Marine, City Bank sign deal

Business Report

City Bank Ltd and Western Marine Shipyard Ltd signed a corporate agreement in Chittagong on Monday.

Under the deal, the bank will sanction a credit facility of more than BDT 1.62 billion to the country’s leading shipbuilding company to export two 5,200 DWT (deadweight tonnage) ocean going ice-class ships for a German company. The ships are scheduled to be exported by September 2010. Western Marine will build a total of 12 ships for the German company.

Western Marine Shipyard Managing Director Md. Sakhawat Hossain and City Bank Managing Director K. Mahmood Sattar inked the deal on behalf of their respective sides.

City Bank Deputy Managing Director (Business) Sohail R. K. Hussain, and Sr. V. President & Head of CRM Md. Ehsan Khasru from City Bank’s part and Managing Director Md. Sakhawat Hossain, Operation Director Capt. ABM Fazle Rabbi, Director Abu Md. Fazle Rashid, & Director Shah Alam from Western Marine’s side were present amongst others.

Both the organisations hoped that this agreement will prove to be very successful and the timely delivery of the two ships will not only bring prosperity and honour for the nation but will also help in developing the emerging shipbuilding sector of the country. The dignitaries in the occasion gratefully acknowledged the significant progress of Western Marine at such a short period of time.

They are very hopeful about further success and wished that the organization shall be able to grab more international orders of shipbuilding in the coming days. Western Marine presently has orders for five 4,100DWT ice-class container vessels for Denmark, twelve 5200DWT multi-purpose vessels for German owners and a few specialized vessels for a Finnish company, which occupies 60 per cent capacity of the shipyard. The yard is now ready in all respect to take further orders from overseas.

Govt’s Tipaimukh handling slated

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Govt’s Tipaimukh handling slated
India’s secrecy not fair, dialogue told
Staff Correspondent

Environmentalists and academics yesterday called for a greater movement at national and international levels to resist what they said ‘India’s conspiracy’ to construct Tipaimukh dam without sharing information with Bangladesh.

They also slammed the government’s role in dealing with India about water issues. India has neither ensured water flow in the Ganges as per the Ganges Treaty nor shared information about Tipaimukh Dam, which is sheer violation of the treaty, they said.

“India is maintaining top secrecy about the dam, because it is a conspiracy. It knows that people in Bangladesh or India to be affected by the proposed dam will protest against the construction if they have got the actual information about the dam,” said Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury at a dialogue.

Samaj Rupantor Oddhayan Kendro [study centre], a socio-political think tank, organised the dialogue titled “Tipaimukh Dam and our role to protect national interests” at the National Press Club.

Prof Choudhury said the dam, if constructed, will affect wetlands and agriculture in the country’s northeastern part and hamper water flow of Meghna river.

“We cannot depend on our government because it serves the purpose of vested quarters instead of serving the interests of people. So our role is to wage movement against the construction of the dam at all levels,” said the professor, also the president of the study centre.

Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of Communist Party of Bangladesh, said Tipaimukh Dam will seriously affect the lives and livelihoods of the country’s northeastern region that depends on the water flows of Kushiara and Surma rivers.

He said any effort to construct dam or barrage in the upper stream must be resisted.

Regarding the visit of a parliamentary delegation to Tipaimukh, the leftist leader said mere visit would not work. “We need concrete information–how much water would be contained and how much would be released and how the dam will impact on us.”

Engineer Sheikh Shahidullah termed maintaining secrecy by India about the dam a crime that cannot be forgiven. “We cannot believe India because of its past records.”

Constructing Tipaimukh dam for hydroelectric power plant also brings huge threats of earthquake for the region, he said adding that historical evidences suggest Tipaimukh was the source of huge earthquakes.

Jahangirnagar University Professor Anu Muhammad said the damages that Tipaimukh dam will cause couldn’t be compensated with the money equal to 10 times of the country’s budget.

Criticising Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty’s comment about the country’s experts, he said he must clarify what he said in public.

Zunaid Saki, a board member of the study centre, in his keynote presentation said India is also constructing a barrage at Fulertala, up from Tipaimukh, to withdraw water flow. The barrage is linked to India’s river-linking project.

“So Tipaimukh dam will not affect the water flow is a lie,” he said, adding the dam project will cause drought during dry season and heavy flood during rainy season.

Engineer Enamul Haque, Workers’ Party leader Haider Akbar Khan Rono, Prof Ahmed Kamal and Prof Pias Karim also spoke.

Local company floats coastal ship in Barisal

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Local company floats coastal ship in Barisal

Khulna-based Prime Shipping Lines made Sundarban-4, a 1,500-tonne vessel, which was launched at a function in Barisal recently. Some other companies in the region are also making such ships riding on low-cost but skilled manpower and infrastructure facilities. Photo: STAR

Rafiqul Islam, Barisal

Khulna-based Prime Shipping Lines, an associate of Sundarban Navigation Company, has entered the local shipbuilding market with completing construction of a coastal ship to be used for carrying goods in coastal areas of the country.

Sundarban-4, the 1500-tonne vessel, was floated on June 26 at a function in Barisal.

Shawkat Hossain Hiron, Barisal City Corporation (BCC) mayor, said at the function that the government has attached top priority to shipbuilding sector considering its enormous potential.

The government believes in the public-private synchronisation to expand the industrial sector by upgrading infrastructure facilities, said the BCC mayor.

Saidur Rahman, managing director of the company, said they can build ships with capacity of 500 tonnes to 2,500 tonnes in their shipyard situated in Beltala area of the city on the west bank of Kirtonkhola river.

Recently another local company Crescent Navigation also started constructing this type of vessels and more companies are coming forward, with low-cost labour, infrastructural facilities and local technology helping flourish the sector.

Golam Mawla, owner of Crescent Navigation, said Barisal region has a very old tradition in shipbuilding from ancient period.

Most of the large double- and triple-decker luxury passenger carrying water vessels now plying on major river routes of the country were built here by maintaining international standards,” Mawla said.

Md Ebaydul Haque Chand, director of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said Barisal has a competitive edge over its rivals because of its cheap and naturally expert workforce.

He called for all-out support by making new policies and bringing changes to the existing laws to accelerate development of the sector.

The emerging shipbuilding industry is important not only for earning revenue but also for technology transfer, he added.

All it requires are modern technology and skilled manpower to meet the increasing demand for water transport vessels, Chand said.

“We have skilled and hard working people. We are hopeful that we will be able to achieve excellence in building larger ships in the coming days,” said Manzurul Alam Ferdous, owner of Kirtonkhola Navigation Company.

Cost competitiveness, technical know-how, skilled manpower and excellent communication skills of Bangladeshi shipbuilders helped in getting orders, industry stakeholders said.

Industry people said Bangladesh is enjoying the benefit of skilled workforce in building ships as some workers, who have work experience in different foreign countries, have come back home and joined the local industry.

Meanwhile, Export Promotion Bureau has recommended giving priority to the shipbuilding industry in the upcoming three-year import policy.

It also suggested bringing down bank interest rate to eight percent and simplifing the import procedures of raw materials for the shipbuilding industry, said Sheikh Abdur Rahim, president of Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Local ceramics maker rides out global recession

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Local ceramics maker rides out global recession
FARR Ceramics now eyes capacity building

FARR Ceramics that bags a 10 percent share in Bangladeshi ceramics exports is among the few now showing resilience against global recession. Photo: Farr Ceramics

Sajjadur Rahman

A local ceramics maker, in a span of less than two and a half years, has touched a credit mark of fetching around Tk 31crore from porcelain tableware exports in the immediate past fiscal year (2008-09), riding out the ongoing global recession.

FARR Ceramics Ltd, which has now a 10 percent market share in the Tk 300 crore exports of ceramics, went into commercial production in February 2007, exported nearly Tk 20 crore in FY 2007-08.

Despite a tremendous growth rate, Iftakher Uddin Farhad, the company’s chairman and managing director, believes Bangladesh has more scope than what it now exports.

“I am going to double my factory’s capacity soon to meet the growing export demand,” he said. “Quality and competitive price have helped us boost our exports.”

Bangladesh’s competitiveness enhances day by day. Farhad said rising energy and labour costs in competitor countries might turn Bangladesh into a global hub of ceramics tableware after China.

Ceramics and tiles are an emerging industry in Bangladesh. Some Tk 2,000 crore has been invested in the sector, both from home and abroad. Ceramics’s local market size was Tk 700 crore in FY 2008-09.

Bangladesh’s export earnings from ceramics reached $33 million last fiscal from a meagre amount of $1 million in 1991. Besides FARR, other major exporting companies are Shinepukur, Monno and Artisan Ceramics.

However, many local manufacturers and exporters could not remain immune from global crisis fallout, as exports have marked a decline.

During July-March in FY2008-09, ceramics exports declined to $25.60 million from $28.43 million in the same period a year earlier.

FARR is among the few companies that are showing resilience in the international export market. The company exports to Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Spain, Turkey and India.

“India is growingly becoming an important export destination for our tableware. We export on an average $70,000 ceramics to the neighbouring country a month,” Farhad pointed out.

FARR Euro Fine Porcelain, FARR Fine Ivory and FAAR High Alumina Porcelain are some of the company brands. Renowned five star hotels in India such as Marriott, Taj, Grand and Ramada use FARR ceramics tableware, the company’s MD claimed.

Higher energy and labour costs in China and Sri Lanka, the two major competitors, have paved the way for the company to cement its foothold in the global export market, Farhad said, lamenting government’s lax attitude towards the industry.

“Turkey is becoming a major importer of Bangladeshi ceramics, but the country requires a health certificate, which our testing institution BSTI is not giving to us,” Farhad said.

He said China gives 22.5 percent incentives to its ceramics exporters, but Bangladesh gives nothing.

FARR Ceramics Ltd was established in 2005 with Tk a 120 crore investment. Some 1,000 workers are employed in the factory.

sajjad@thedailystar.net

Islami Bank opens SME Service Centre at Muktagachha

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Islami Bank opens SME Service Centre at Muktagachha

Islami Bank Board of Directors Vice-chairman Zainul Abedin inaugurating as the chief guest the 12th SME Service Centre of the bank at Muktagachha in Mymensingh district.

FE Report

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) Sunday opened its 12th SME Service Centre at Muktagachha in Mymensingh district, said a press release.

IBBL Board of Directors Vice-chairman Zainul Abedin inaugurated the SME Service Centre as the chief guest.

Muktagachha Upazila chairman Badar Uddin Ahmed and local municipality Mayor Mansurur Rahman Khan were present as the special guests on the occasion.

Chaired by IBBL Managing Director M Fariduddin Ahmad, the inaugural ceremony was addressed, among others, by its Shari’ah Council member Hasan Mohammad Moinuddin, Senior Vice-president and head of Mymensingh Zone Md Nazrul Islam Khan and In-charge of the SME Service Centre Md Ruhul Amin.

The IBBL has been working for the last 26 years to reach the service of Islamic Banking to the doorsteps of the people of the country, Mr Abedin said.

Demand for opening branches of the bank is increasing from all corners of the country, though the IBBL has already opened branches in all the 64 districts, he said.

“We are trying to flourish small and medium industries by opening SME service centres in those areas, where there is not any branch of the bank yet”, he added.

The IBBL managing director said the bank had continued the leading position in deposit, investment, import, export and remittance.

He called upon the IBBL employees to develop the standard of customer service to make the position of the bank firmer.

Thrust on RMG export to Germany

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2009/07/07/72214.html

Thrust on RMG export to Germany

FE Report

German Ambassador in Dhaka Frank Meyke Monday said Bangladesh export to Germany in the first four months of the year increased by 27.5 per cent while there is room for more.

“German-Bangladesh trade is in good shape and flourishing. But there is a wide range of opportunities that are yet to be explored,” the German ambassador said.

He was speaking at a workshop on ‘ways to boost up RMG export to Germany under present recession’ organised by the Bangladesh-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BGCCI) at the GTZ conference hall in the capital.

Speaking as chief guest, Mr Meyke said, Germany has been the second largest destination for Bangladeshi garment products, which accounts for almost 90 per cent of total export.

German export to Bangladesh, mainly machinery and chemicals, has also increased by 17.6 per cent in the fist four months of the current year against the corresponding period last year.

“Our bilateral trade has increased by 26.3 per cent in the January-April 2009 period against the corresponding period last year, which is vital for strengthening relationship between the two countries,” he said.

He also said that presence of certain elements like political stability, vibrant business communities, supportive government policy and free media is vital to boost bilateral trade relationship between the two countries.

Government of Bangladesh has already initiated a number of steps to foster international trade, which will benefit German-Bangladesh trade as well, he added.

“To successfully handle the post recession global economy, especially to boost RMG export to Germany, we need to unify long term trade policies and implement them effectively,” the German Ambassador added.

Elaborating the role of BGCCI, its president Saiful Islam said the chamber body liaises between buyers and sellers and at the same settles disputes through arbitration between businessmen from the two countries.

“We make continuously maintain liaison with Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), German Embassy in Bangladesh and Bangladesh Embassy in Germany to achieve the export target,” the BGCCI president added.

BPC to set up deep sea fuel unloading facility

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BPC to set up deep sea fuel unloading facility

M Azizur Rahman

The government has decided to create a deep-sea petroleum unloading facility near Kutubdia, some 60 kilometers off the coast.

The facility, officials said, would help reduce both unloading time and costs substantially for the imported fuel oils and boost efficiency of the state-owned oil companies, officials said Monday.

An under-the-sea pipeline would also be installed to carry the fuels to the coast, said a senior energy ministry official.

Installation of this platform named – single buoy mooring -would facilitate carrying of fuel to the shore through the pipeline, leading to a reduction of transportation time to only three days from the existing 16 days, he said.

Some US$140 million would be required to install the platform and the pipeline, the official said.

The facility, according to an estimate, would help the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) save around $10 per tonne of fuel, he added.

The country currently requires around 3.70 million tonnes of crude and refined petroleum products annually to meet its soaring domestic demand.

The state-owned refinery – the Eastern Refinery Ltd (ERL) – can refine around 1.5 million tonnes of fuel a year.

Both refined and crude oil could be carried to the shore from the proposed platform, once it is installed, the BPC official said.

“The mother vessels carrying the imported fuel oils would be able to unload at the platform through the pipeline,” said BPC Chairman Anwarul Karim.

Piped fuel oils would then be stored in the coastal depots or carried to the refinery from where it would be supplied across the country, he said.

Currently rental lighter vessels carry petroleum to the shore from the mother vessels staying at the outer anchorage.

“We have to pay $5.40 per tonne to the lighter vessels for carrying petroleum to the shore,” the BPC chairman said.

The petroleum corporation carries its fuel through the lighter vessels owned by the state-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC).

The BPC has recently carried out a feasibility study and found that setting up of the platform in deep sea would be economically viable.

“We have sought financial assistance from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) through the Economic Relations Division for setting up the platform,” said the BPC official.

The IDB has hinted at providing such assistance, he added.

Experts also backed the government plan for setting up the petroleum unloading facility in the deep-sea.

“This platform might help reduction of transportation loss and pilferage of the petroleum products,” said Professor M Tamim of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).

Thai Aluminium sets up automatic plant

http://www.newagebd.com/2009/jul/06/busi.html#10

Thai Aluminium sets up automatic plant
Business Desk

Dhaka Thai Aluminium Industries Limited has set up an automatic aluminium explosion plant at its factory at Savar in Dhaka.

With the new installation, the factory will be able to manufacture 200 tonnes of aluminium products per month, a news release said.

The plant will manufacture architectural door window, curtain wall, automobile parts etc.

The company plans to market a more sustainable 1.2-millimetre architectural door window in September.

The authorities have appointed foreign engineers for the maintenance of plant, the release added.

Nasir Group plans to build pharma, fertiliser plants

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=95446

Nasir Group plans to build pharma, fertiliser plants

The photo taken in February shows construction of Nasir Glassware and Tube Industries going on in Mirzapur. Nasir Group plans to build a pharmaceutical plant, a plastic material making unit and a fertiliser factory. Photo: Star/File

Sajjadur Rahman

The diversified Nasir Group has decided to set up three new different types of industries to expand its business activities to a wide variety of areas.

The group, which is one of the largest family-owned business conglomerates in the country, will set up a pharmaceutical plant, a BOPP (plastic material) making unit and a fertiliser factory soon to gear up its businesses.

“We are going fast with the pharmaceutical factory,” said Nasiruddin Biswas, managing director of Nasir Group.

“We are trying our best to buy an existing licence to save time to set up the pharmaceutical plant,” he told The Daily Star recently.

Pharmaceutical is an emerging and prospective industry in Bangladesh. Currently, there are around 250 pharmaceutical companies that meet almost all the domestic demands. The top 10 companies’ market share is nearly 70 percent of the Tk 5,000 crore local market.

The group is also working with BOPP, which is a plastic material used in almost all types of packets. The BOPP plant will be the first of its kind in Bangladesh.

“We are talking to the suppliers of machines for the BOPP factory,” the managing director said.

He said Bangladesh imports BOPP products worth several hundreds crore taka each year.

The third project that the group is actively considering is a SoP (Sulphate of Potash) fertiliser factory. The government imports SoP and supplies it to the farmers at 60 percent subsidised price.

“We want to set up a SoP fertiliser factory. But we need to talk to the government on price fixation before undertaking the project,” said Biswas. SoP fertiliser is also used in tobacco cultivation to increase thickness of its leaf.

He said SoP helps ensure high quality, size, colour and high yield of crops.

Nasir Group, which started its business in a very small way with biri (traditional hand-made low-cost cigarette) making, now boasts of owning state of the art glass, melamine, printing and packaging, and footwear industries.

The group is now setting up a Tk 600 crore import substitute glassware and tube industry, which will be the first of its kind in the country.

Nasir Group’s annual turnover now hovers around Tk 2,000 crore. It pays on an average monthly Tk 13 crore value added tax to the national exchequer.

Of the three new plants, the group will set up pharmaceutical first, Biswas said.

His daughter who is a foreign-educated pharmacist will lead the pharmaceutical plant, he noted.

sajjad@thedailystar.net