Plan to finance $120m to set up economic zones

http://www.bssnews.net/newsDetails.php?cat=0&id=156150&date=2011-01-18

Plan to finance $120m to set up economic zones

DHAKA, Jan 18 (BSS) – The World Bank (WB) in collaboration with DFID and IFC will finance US$ 120 million to the proposed Private Sector Development Support Project (PSDSP) to set up economic zones in the country.

The US$ 120 million project aims to create a sustainable industrialization model by developing a public private partnership (PPP) approach to investment in zones.

The WB and Department for International Development (DFID) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) have successfully concluded negotiation for the PSDSP this month, according to a WB statement issued today.

The Investment Climate Assessment for Bangladesh identified lack of serviced land and quality infrastructure as the two recurring constraints for private sector development.

Economic Zones can be an important tool for attracting private investment, generating employment and accelerating economic growth.

Economic Zones will create increased linkages with the domestic economy by broadening and building on Bangladesh’s positive experience with Export Processing Zones.

The Government and the World Bank have agreed on Kaliakoir as the first site for developing an Economic Zone. The chosen site at Kaliakoir is Government- owned and no resettlement of people is needed.

The site is fenced, already semi-developed and over 50 percent of the land is elevated and requires no land fill. The site is also strategically located to take advantage of the rail link to the airport and Dhaka city.

The proposed project will finance public sector investment in infrastructure for the development of serviced land and leverage private financing for Economic Zone development.

The initiative will also focus on human resource development and better compliance with environmental and social standards.

Major progress in e-bidding

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Major progress in e-bidding

Rejaul Karim Byron

An electronic payment system will be introduced in February as a major breakthrough in the government bidding system, freeing the process of corruption and hassles.

The Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of the planning ministry yesterday held final discussions with Bangladesh Bank and 12 commercial banks on the new system.

A high official of CPTU said the government is going to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the scheduled banks by the end of this month.

In the first phase of the electronic government procurement (e-GP) system, the contractors have to go to a CPTU-approved bank to pay cash, demand drafts of pay orders to sign up for the system, CPTU said.

The contractors must download tender documents and process tender security or bank guarantees.

In the second phase, there are possibilities of opening various channels such as ATM, debit card, credit card or internet banking.

In the second phase, CPTU will sit with respective e-payment providers for further discussion, the official said.

A Bangladesh Bank official told the meeting that the central bank is going to introduce the e-payment gateway which will enable the contractors to make payments staying home.

The meeting also discussed charges for e-payment and decided that the banks will fix their service charges but Bangladesh Bank may interfere to ensure that does not vary too much from bank to bank.

The headquarters of banks need to instruct their respective branches to receive e-payment, CPTU said. Banks agreed that after signing the MoU they would request their branches to receive e-payment through the e-GP dashboard.

CPTU informed banks that every bank should engage one appropriate focal person for this project, who will act on behalf of the bank and coordinate with CPTU as required.

Secretary of the IME Division Md Habib Ullah Majumder presided over the meeting organised by the CPTU. Director General of CPTU Amulya Kumar Debnath, Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank Nazneen Sultana, and CPTU Director Aziz Taher Khan were present on the occasion.

Representatives from different banks including Janata, Sonali, Agrani, Uttara, Pubali, National, Dutch-Bangla, UCBL, Krishi Bank and Islami Bank also attended the meeting.

The CPTU made a presentation on e-payment options in the e-GP system in the meeting. The bank representatives discussed the existing payment system, its capacity and how they can be involved in the process of electronic payment.

The CPTU is implementing the Public Procurement Reform Project-II (PPRP-II) supported by the World Bank. The e-GP, one of the four components of the PPRP-II, is going to be introduced initially at four target agencies — LGED, REB, WDB and RHD.

Drug makers double sales in three years

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Drug makers double sales in three years

Sajjadur Rahman

Top medicine makers recorded robust growth last year at an average 25 percent, riding on people’s growing health awareness and purchasing power, according to the market players.

Also, increased rural penetration of the manufacturers and a significant development in healthcare sector have contributed to the growth.

Bangladesh medicine sales reached Tk 3,700 crore three years ago, which nearly doubled to

Tk 7,000 crore in 2010. The industry players forecast the growth trend would take the sales volume to Tk 10,000 crore in 2011.

Square, Beximco, Eskayef, Incepta and Acme are the top five manufacturers by sales and growth rate.

Beximco grew faster than other companies at a staggering 33 percent in 2010 with Tk 523 crore sales.

Incepta’s sales and growth rate were Tk 665 crore and 31 percent respectively, followed by Acme’s Tk 600 crore and 17 percent.

Eskayef logged Tk 426 crore in sales and the growth rate was 27 percent, the third highest pace in the year, said a company official.

“Increasing health consciousness and buying capacity have helped the industry grow consistently,” said Mizanur Rahman Sinha, managing director of Acme Pharmaceuticals, one of the fastest growing manufacturers.

Sinha predicts the industry’s total sales at Tk 10,000 crore in the current year.

Managing Director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals Abdul Muktadir echoed the same reason for the market growth, but he is not surprised to see the success.

Muktadir said 5 percent GDP growth helps the pharma industry grow at 15 percent, and 6 percent and 7 percent growth makes it 20 percent and 25 percent respectively.

Sales of Square Pharmaceuticals, the market leader, were Tk 1,270 crore in 2010, up from Tk 1,116 crore a year ago. Sales grew 14 percent year-on-year .

AM Faruque, managing director and chief executive officer of Apex Pharma, finds Bangladesh market to be a potential one. He thinks affordability and availability of medicines will help the market boom in the next few years.

Faruque said Apex Pharma, which is not a big player now, will emerge as one of the top five companies in five years. The present turnover of the company is Tk 60 crore only.

“Apex is coming in a big way,” said Faruque.

Bill Mckean, a UK pharmacist who has recently joined Apex Pharma as its chief technical officer, sees a huge prospect and high-quality players in the local market.

According to him, a large population and relaxation of trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) for least developed countries are contributing to the market growth.

Business Monitor International in its latest report (Q1 2011) said Bangladesh has moved up one place to occupy the 14th position in 17 regional markets surveyed in BMIs Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Business Environment Ratings for the Asia region.

Still, Bangladesh has a long way to go, the report said.

This adjustment now sees Bangladesh placed below Vietnam and above Sri Lanka. Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical rating is 40.2 out of 100, a figure that has changed marginally from the previous quarter but remains lower than the regional average of 53.1. Globally, Bangladesh occupies 67th position in BMIs 83 market-strong pharmaceutical universe.

sajjad@thedailystar.net

Country to fetch $2-4b more from EU market: Faruk

http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/business/5278.html

Country to fetch $2-4b more from EU market: Faruk
DU Correspondent

Commerce minister Faruk Khan on Saturday said that Bangladesh would earn $10 billion to $12 billion this year by exporting goods to the European Union countries because of the EU’s new liberalised GSP rules.

‘The country’s exports to EU countries increased by 52 per cent to $ 8 billion last year and it is expected to reach between $10 billion and $12 billion this year because of new GSP rules which came into effect on January 01,’ he said at a seminar at the Dhaka University.

Bangladesh Industry and Development Parishad organised the seminar on ‘Ways and Means to turn Bangladesh into an Industrially-rich Country’ at the Senate Bhahan.

Professor Tahmina Akhter chaired the function and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry of post and telecommunications Hasanul Haque Inu spoke as a special guest.

BNP standing committee member Hannan Shah, Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal general secretary Samsuzzaman Dudu, former state minister Golam Sarwar Milion and former president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufactures and Exporters Association Fazlul Haque spoke on the occasion.

Faruk Khan said country’s exports fetched $10.2 billion in the last six months of the current fiscal and export earning is expected to reach $22 billion, surpassing the target of $18.5 b if the present trend continues.

Hannan Shah said country required skilled manpower and appropriate policies to bolster economic growth.

Inu said the small and medium industry gets no financial support of the government and the financial institutiona.

He said call centre industry is emerging as the second largest industry next to garments industry in the country.

Pakistani business delegation arrives

http://www.theindependentbd.com/business/others/29335-pakistani-business-delegation-arrives.html

Pakistani business delegation arrives
Staff Reporter

DHAKA, JAN 15: A high-level 10-member Pakistani business delegation arrived on Friday to explore avenues of investment and joint ventures in different sectors between the two countries besides attending special meeting of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The leader of the delegation, Vice President SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Iftikhar Ali Malik said, “We will hold meetings with Bangladesh businessmen to assess the possibility of future investment in Pakistan and examine in detail the feasibility of joint ventures in different sectors of mutual interest”.

He said the delegation would also attend the executive committee meeting of the SAARC CCI and participate in two seminars on “Creating Synergies for Regional Integration” and “Economic Freedom”.Malik said that we would hold meetings with businessmen from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives for the promotion of mutual trade among the member countries besides addressing several other important issued being faced by them for free trade.  Vice Presidents and Executive Committee Members of SAARC CCI from all member countries will attend the 3-days meetings at Dhakka to be chaired by SCCI Chief Annisul Huq.

An eco-resort that stands apart

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Green Tech
An eco-resort that stands apart

Left, a cottage of Mermaid Eco Resort; top right, a view of the sea from the resort, and the front view. Photo: Mermaid

Iqramul Hasan

Cox’s Bazar is no more clamouring to be listed as one of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World, but it attracts tourists in increasing numbers from home and abroad.

Pechar Dweep, only a 15-minute ride from Kalatoli point of Cox’s Bazar toward Himchhori, is a place of natural beauty where the waves of the sea kiss the foothills.

It is rare that someone making a trip to Cox’s Bazar should be missing out on the panoramic Himchhori.

As you venture out on the long black tarred road to Himchhori and have travelled a few kilometres with the choppy sea on your right, a bright sign on a weather-washed board “Mermaid Eco Resort”. A cluster of tiny thatched cottages must attract your attention. There you are on the threshold of an eco-resort housed on five acres.

Anyone should easily understand that the resort operators must be an environment-conscious group as one glances at the nice sign of Mermaid painted on a piece of recycled wood pegged at the rather unassuming entrance.

Anisul Huque Chowdhury, managing director, explains why he says Mermaid is an eco-resort.

“Since I began the construction of this resort in 2003, one thing I kept in mind that there must not be any harm done to the natural beauty of the place,” Chowdhury said.

He said the resort would not be put in place without the sophisticated design of Ziauddin Khan, the chairman of the resort. “We invested around Tk 4 crore to develop and build the resort. The materials used in construction were mainly old blocks of wood.”

But the authorities did not allow felling a single tree within the resort area, keeping all the trees falling within the accommodation zone also intact, he said. “Also, we planted around 40,000 saplings to make the resort greener.”

Chowdhury said the first venture was Mermaid Café in Kalatoli area, where recycled materials were used in construction and fresh organic foods were served to the customers.

“The success of that café motivated us to build a resort some distance away from the town.”

The resort owner recruited 70 percent of the staff from the locality, most of whom had earlier been struggling to make a living by poaching natural resources from the nearby hill forests.

Chowdhury said a plant recycles the waste generated at the resort. “The end of the day sees us separating the food wastes, paper and bottles for recycling.”

Food wastes are recycled to generate fertiliser that again is used in the organic farming of vegetables the resort serves to the guests.

Chowdhury said Mermaid distributed the excess organic fertilisers among the village farmers.

The waste bottles are used in the decor of the resort and mixed with other materials to make mortar used in construction, he said.

Razib Ahmed, the marketing manager of Mermaid, said the resort wanted to attract mainly those tourists who are environment-conscious.

Christopher Craig, country director of a multinational company, said he felt at home being a guest at Mermaid and was happy with the standards maintained by the resort.

“To protect the natural beauty of the countryside like Cox’s Bazar, there is no alternative to building this kind of eco-resorts,” he added.

According to Craig, Cox’s Bazar is already congested and overburdened with dense concrete structures. He said, “It is not a very good thing for eco-tourism.”

“As an environment conscious traveller, I feel Mermaid makes efforts to protect the nature against contamination,” he added.

Ria Maria who visited the resort on several occasions said: “It is the best resort in the country as far as my experience goes.” Maria said the resort did not use any air conditioners; the natural air is sufficient there and so they save energy.

“The rather simple cottages and other structures were built in a way so that the natural atmosphere remains intact there,” she added. Maria said her friends who visited the resort had the same feelings.

There was a time, when eco-tourists avoided visiting Cox’s Bazar because of the widespread pollution of the local environment and the sea. Chowdhury said: “We got a lot of tourists in the last one year who really cared about the environment and enjoyed their stay at our resort.”

Tourists who come to Cox’s Bazar are mostly residents in different cities living in tall buildings, he added. “Tourists prefer a place which is in a natural setting and far from any noise.”

“We raised Mermaid using recycled wood and other materials, not exceeding the height of the existing trees.”

Mahfuz Ahmed, manger of the resort, said since inception they had received around 10,000 guests till then. Of them, more than 40 percent were foreigners and some of them revisited the resort on a number of occasions, he added. The tourism minister, diplomats, writers and many other environment lovers visited the resort.

Talking about their future plan, Chowdhury said he plans to instal solar panels of 5KW capacity soon. “We have a plan to supply power to the local households also, as Pechar Dweep does not have any other power supply.” A central effluent treatment plant is also included in his future plan.

The resort owner is building another resort, Club Mermaid, near the existing one.

KYCR Coil plans to expand operations and raise funds from capital market

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Corrugated sheets shine
KYCR Coil plans to expand operations and raise funds from capital market

A view of the KYCR Coil manufacturing plant, 25 kilometres from Chittagong. Inset, Officials check the quality of products. Photo: KDS Group

Suman Saha, back from Ctg

A burner is blazing at nearly 900-degrees. It galvanises the cold rolled (CR) coils to give the metal a zinc coating.

Next in line, the metal goes through rolling dice, to take on a corrugated shape. This is the production process at KYCR Coil Industries Ltd, a subsidiary of KDS Group, at Kumira, situated 25 kilometres from Chittagong.

Munir H Khan, director of KDS Steel, walks us around the production lines to show how the final product, corrugated sheets, is made. The plant uses HR coil and zinc as raw materials.

“We set up the Cold Rolling Mills Complex in 2001 to provide the necessary raw materials for the KDS Group’s own galvanising plant. The surplus production is supplied to other consumers in the industry.”

KDS Group mainly does business in four segments — garments and textiles, steel, accessories and logistics. Under KDS Steel, it has three companies — KY Steel Mills Ltd, KYCR Coil Industries Ltd and Steel Accessories Ltd.

Machinery used at the KYCR Coil Industries plant has been supplied by SMS DEMAG Germany, a world leader in this sector. The complex, which was built on 10 acres, houses 6 Hi CVC cold rolling mill (costing nearly $80 million), with an annual capacity of around 1.20 lakh tonnes, said Khan.

“It is an unknown process in Bangladesh and requires massive investment. As a result, only five companies are in operation in the corrugated sheet business,” said Khan.

When the sheets are used as roofs, those are laid somewhat like tiles with a lateral overlap of two or three corrugations and a vertical overlap of about 150 millimetres, to provide waterproofing. The standard shape of corrugated material is round and wavy, but can be easily modified to a variety of shapes and sizes by simply changing the dice.

Bangladesh has to be self-sufficient in steel production, if the country graduates to a middle-income category by 2021 because it is necessary for any development, said Khan.

China and India are also trying to be self-sufficient in steel, he added. Steel sufficiency has played a significant role to turn Japan into a developed country, he added.

Khan, who oversees the operations of KDS Steel, said the company mainly manufactures corrugated sheets, which is around 80 percent of its product range.

Its flagship brand is ‘Murgi’ marka tin and has a significant market share in Bangladesh since 1988, said Khan.

“The annual market size of corrugated sheet in Bangladesh is around 5 lakh tonnes. The market has witnessed stable growth because the purchasing power of the lower income groups, who are the core customer for the product, is gradually increasing.”

KYCR also produces galvanised coil (GC), CR coil, cycle rim strips and slitted sheet. The hard GC sheets are mainly used for roof cladding, while the soft GC sheets are used for AC ducting, colour coating applications, rice storage boxes and vehicle bodies.

Around 15 percent of KDS Steel products are also exported to Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Dubai, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Peru, Colombia and eleven countries in West Africa.

The company manufactures the corrugated sheet, which ranges between Tk 120 and Tk 600 per piece, targeting all income groups, said Khan.

Corrugated tin prices are very sensitive because nearly 90 percent of customers are rural farmers. The lowest market price of corrugated tin is Tk 40,000 per piece-tonne. Each piece-tonne consists of 282 pieces of 6-foot long tin sheets.

The price of the corrugated tin in Bangladesh mainly depends on the districts’ economic condition, said Khan. For example, customers from Dhaka and its outskirts generally buy comparatively high priced products, while customers from relatively poor regions buy low priced products.

The company maintains a 24-hour production process with a 2-megawatt back-up captive generator.

“We pay nearly Tk 70 lakh a month in electricity bills, said Khan. “But power fluctuations sometimes force us to bear huge costs for instrument recovery because low voltage triggers the malfunction of the circuit, which costs nearly Tk 12 lakh.”

KYCR is also set to expand operations and plans to raise capital from the capital market. The company is scheduled for a roadshow on January 31 for the institutional investors to discover price under book building system.

“We plan to produce colour sheets in August,” said Khan. “We also want to expand production capacity by an additional 1 lakh tonnes by 2013 because of the gradual increase in demand for the product.”

For this, the company will invest nearly Tk 200 crore, he added.

The government should take proactive policies to deal with the external forces, especially for steel products.

“We import HR coil from the world market because we have no iron ore mines,” said Khan. “So, if the prices of steel products go up on the international markets, there will ultimately be great pressures on its rural customers.”

Khan urged the government to set a separate steel policy and fix the duty structure from time-to-time by considering the prices on the international markets as well as in the neighboring countries, such India and China.

suman.saha@thedailystar.net

Govt open to acquiring foreign coal, gas fields

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Govt plans to acquire foreign coal, gas fields
Energy adviser says; country needs to generate 30,000-50,000 MW power in next two decades
Sharier Khan

Alongside tapping the coal and gas resources in the country, the government is planning to acquire some coal and gas fields abroad to ensure long-term energy security, said Energy Adviser Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury.

At a discussion of the power division and Power Development Board (PDB) on Saturday he said, “We are looking at generating 30,000 to 50,000 megawatts of power in the next two decades and hence are open to acquiring assets in other countries.”

In future, half the country’s energy would be generated from coal, he told the discussion organised to interact with the four non-resident Bangladeshi experts who were invited by The Daily Star to share their knowledge on alternative energy and new technology at the newspaper’s first Colloquium Friday.

Replying to a question on why the government has not yet taken any visible move on larger scale coal development, the energy adviser said the works on building a coal city in Barapukuria was in progress which would serve as a hub for coal development in that region.

“We have to ask the National Water Modelling Institute to study the aquifers in the northern region so that we understand the effect and result of coal mining there,” he said, adding, “Presently, we lack adequate data.”

Understanding ground water tables is vital for coal mining. Mining without understanding the water structure can seriously affect the ground water situation.

The energy adviser noted that for such enormous development in the energy sector, especially surrounding coal, an investment of billions of dollars is required to develop the road, water and rail infrastructure to transport raw materials and equipment.

He observed that in the last two years, the government moved for procurement of 4,000MW of power — something that no other government had done before.

This year, the government would move for procurement of the similar scale and complete tendering for setting up of a terminal to import Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as an alternative backup for the country’s declining gas supplies.

“Besides, we are also considering a plan to import Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) from Shahbazpur Gas Field in Bhola to serve the gas starving regions (this gas field is largely unutilised). Similarly, we can transport some excess gas from the Sylhet region through rail to Chittagong,” said Towfiq-e-Elahi.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) was offering loans for 3,000MW solar power to its member countries, the energy adviser noted, adding that he had sought loans for 500MW from the bank. The ADB has not responded to the proposal, but it gave an initial positive feedback.

“How do we utilise this opportunity? I have discussed the matter with Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and she proposed that we install 1MW solar unit in each upazila. This may be a good idea. A 1MW solar unit will take three acres of land and can pave the way to spread solar plants across the country by 2012,” said the adviser.

He said the government is also considering solution to providing energy to rural people — 80 percent of the country’s population, who have no access to commercial fuel.

“Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) is preparing a strategy paper on how to address this issue so that these people no longer have to depend on firewood and leaves for primary fuel,” he said.

The government is also taking initiatives for energy services for the poor, he said pointing out that most of the poor people cannot afford power, which they should to change their lives.

One such initiative can provide power to 15,000 community clinics across the country from where the poor people would get the services dependent of power.

The government is also forming National Energy Research Council in line with the existing National Agriculture Research Council. This new council will open scope for local researchers, engineering graduates or students to conduct research on various aspects of energy for home grown solutions, said Towfiq-e-Elahi, adding that non-resident Bangladeshi experts will be involved in this council.

Leather exports see recovery after recession

http://www.theindependentbd.com/business/finance/29117-leather-exports-see-recovery-after-recession.html

Leather exports see recovery after recession
AKRAM HOSSAIN

Dhaka, Jan 14: The country’s leather sector is moving swiftly to overcome the loss of sales caused by the global financial recession, taking advantage of surging international demand for leather and leather goods. The latest data published on the website of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) showed that the country’s leather export earnings rose to US$ 128.72 million in the first half of the current fiscal year 2010-11 from $ 98.06 million in the corresponding period of the previous year—an increase of 31.35 per cent.

The EPB data revealed that the leather export target for the July-December 2010 period  was fixed at $ 139.33 million but leather exporters could ship goods worth only $ 128.27 million, which was 7.62 per cent lower than the target for that period.

An analysis of the EPB data showed that the country’s leather product export earning was behind target mainly owing to lower earnings from finished leather exports.

According to EPB data, total export earning of the leather products was $ 25.34 million in July-Dec, 2010 against the target for the corresponding period of $ 16.53 million,  or 53.30 per cent higher than the target.

Exports of leather product were 171.31 per cent higher than earnings of the same period of the previous year as the export earnings for that period (July-Dec) was $ 9.34 million.

Md. Sahin Ahmed, Chairman of Bangladesh Tanners Association, told The Independent that the country’s export earning of finished leather saw ups and downs in the past few years but earnings were expected to increase from now on mainly due to increasing global demand for raw hides and skins.

Sahin Ahmed expressed the hope that the finished leather exporters could achieve the export target of $ 293.94 million for finished leather in the fiscal year 2010-11, as the supply of hides and skins was good enough during the recent Eid-ul-Azha.

Four months months ago, when cattle in the whole country was affected by the anthrax scare, tanners were concerned over supply of hides and skins as the number of slaughtered animals was meager during that time, he said.

These worries ended as supply of hides and skins after the recent Eid-ul-Azha shot up, he added.

Export earning from leather products was lower than export earnings from finished leather due to the lack of technical knowledge, poor products and skilled workforce, he said.

“Many investors would invest in Bangladesh to set up modern leather product manufacturing company if bank loan with low interest rate, smooth supply of gas and electricity side by side establishment of training institutions ensured,” said an official of Bangladesh Finished Leather and Leather goods and Footwear Exporters Association (BFLLFEA).

To make quality leather product we need modern technology and trained workforce which facilitate to increase the export earnings of Bangladesh, the official of BFLLFEA said.

Despite of having a college of leather technology in Bangladesh, we could not get sufficient number of skilled workforces for this sector due to the shortage of necessary teachers in that college, the official said.

“If we get expert workers for both leather and leather product industry, country’s export earnings of these sectors would tremendously increase,” said the official.

Integrated farming becoming popular in Rajshahi

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=122923&date=2011-01-15

Integrated farming becoming popular in Rajshahi
FE Report

At least half a dozen vegetables can be cultivated in sugarcane lands in Rajshahi region if it is brought under integrated farming, a senior agriculture official said.

Younus Ali, additional director of Department of Agriculture Extension of Rajshahi, said a total of 16,453 hectares of land came under sugarcane cultivation, up 15,500 hectares a year ago.

He also said a variety of crops including maize, wheat, potato and onion can be produced in the sugarcane cropping land, provided weather is favourable.

Mr. Ali said sugarcane cultivation contributes more to the farm output because sugar and gur come from it.

He told the FE last week that soil quality, land and irrigation facility are important factors for boosting sugarcane production.

He noted that at least Tk 50,000 could be earned from one bigha of land by cultivating onion after the harvest of sugarcane.

Officials said this year cultivation of winter vegetables in the area expanded due to favourable weather, fair price and improved transport facilities.

Tk 128cr project to develop ecosystems in Sundarbans

http://www.theindependentbd.com/business/finance/29116-tk-128cr-project-to-develop-ecosystems-in-sundarbans.html

Tk 128cr project to develop ecosystems in Sundarbans
unb

DHAKA, JAN 14:  The government has taken an initiative to develop the ecosystems as well as production capacity of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, by increasing its resilience against natural calamities. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved a Tk 128 crore project titled ‘Sundarbans Environmental and Livelihoods Security (SEALS)’ to achieve the objective. Of the total project cost, Tk 33 crore will come from the government exchequer, Tk 4 crore as NGO contribution while Tk 91 crore as project assistance in the form of grants from the European Commission (EC).

The objectives of the project also include creating alternative employment opportunities for the people living in and around the Sundarbans, said State Minister for Environment and Forests Dr Hasan Mahmud.

Talking to UNB correspondent Golam Moin Uddin over phone, he said that the project has been undertaken at a time when the Sundarbans is in the race for its inclusion in the world’s new seven wonders.

Hasan Mahmud said that the cyclone Sidr and Aila destroyed most of the establishments including the Forests Department offices in the Sundarbans. “Under the newly approved project, these will be rebuilt and the habitat will also be developed.”

He said that the project will also aims at creating alternative means of livelihood for the people living adjacent to the Sundarbans so that they will not have to rely only on the products of the mangrove forest. The work on the project will start as soon as possible and completed  by December 2014, he added. The project will be implemented in five districts of two divisions – Khulna and Barisal – cover 17 upazilas. The upazilas are Mongla, Morelganj, Rampal and Sharankhola in Bagerhat district, Ashashuni, Kaliganj and Shymnagar in Satkhira, Batiaghata, Dakop, Koira and Paikgachha in Khulna, Bamna, Barguna sadar and Patharghata in Barguna and Bhandaria, Mathbaria and Nesarabad in Pirojpur.

The State Minister said that during the tenure of the previous Awami League government, another project titled ‘Protection of bio-diversity in the Sundarbans’ was approved at a cost of Tk 399 crore.

“But the work on the project were halted after three years due to irregularities,” he added.

The newly approved SEALS project covers holding seminars and workshops, publicity and documentary films, NGO activities, monitoring and evaluation (foreign), repair and procurement of speed boats and trawlers, pontoon gangway and jetty construction, office building construction, renovation and jetty renovation, pond excavation and rainwater reservoirs.

The total area of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh part is around 6,000 square kilometers. The Sundarbans was declared a reserve forest in 1875 and as a world heritage site in 1997. The sociopolitical importance of the Sundarbans is also immense as  around 600,000 people dependent on it directly or indirectly for their livelihood. Rivers and canals in the Sundarbans, spreading over some 12,000 kilometers area, are also rich in fish resources.

Shipbuilding industry eyes $100m earning this year

http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/business/5027.html

Shipbuilding industry eyes $100m earning this year

A file photo shows a ship, built by a local shipbuilder for a Danish buyer, anchored at the Chittagong port dry dock recently. — New Age photo

Kazi Azizul Islam

Bangladeshi shipbuilders are eying at least $100 million dollar proceeds from their overseas deliveries this year which will be a milestone in their efforts to build a billion-dollar ship export industry within the next few years.

Local shipbuilders are also developing their capacity to make larger and superior world-class vessels while international marine equipment suppliers have started entering the Bangladesh market.

In last two years, Bangladesh delivered three ships to Danish and German importers that fetched around $40 million in proceeds.

Officials of the Western Marine and Ananda Shipyards told New Age that they have schedules to deliver at least 10 ships to foreign buyers this year.

‘Six ships made in our docks will be delivered to foreign buyers this year and at least $60 million proceeds will be added to the country’s export revenue,’ said Saiful Islam, Managing Director of Western Marine Shipyards.

Abdullahel Bari, chairman of Ananda Shipyards, a pioneer in ship exporting, said they expected four deliveries this year.

‘The deliveries are expected fetch $50 million in export earning for the country,’ said Bari.

He said they had recently installed a 100-tonne plus capacity gantry crane at their shipyard, the largest in the county.

‘Installation of the gantry crane is a significant technological advancement for the country’s shipbuilding industry,’ he said.

Western Marine’s Saiful said at present they are making ships up to 5,600-tonne capacity, but they are at the final stage of  negotiations with a European buyer for building a 7,500-tonne multi-purpose cargo vessel.

Saiful said they had acquired a 50-acre-plus river-shore land near Chittagong port for setting up a new dock which will make 15,000-tonne capacity vessels.

‘By mid-2013 we will start making ships with 15,000-tonne capacity or more,’ he said.

Industry observers said at least three more private owned shipyards have already renovated their units to build export-oriented ships, complying international industry standards.

One or two of them may start operation this year as they are in advanced stage of negotiation with foreign buyers.

Niladri Shekhar Talukder, in-charge, planning and design of Desh Shipbuilding at Chittagong told New Age that some shipbuilders are also negotiating with foreign buyers for supplying small passenger and multi-purpose ships and ferries.

Desh, which specializes in lighter but speedier aluminum ships, is in negotiation with buyers from Australia and UAE.

‘Aluminum ships are very convenient for commuting fast from one island to another, so such specialty ships have great demand in countries having many islands,’ said Niladri.

Bob Lo, business development director of Singapore-based marine equipment distributor, Aerotec, distributor of Korea’s Hyundai Corporation, told New Age that global marine equipment suppliers are now evaluating Bangladesh’s shipbuilding industry very seriously.

While attending an industrial and marine equipment exhibition at Hotel Sheraton on Wednesday, Bob informed that Hyundai, a major shipbuilder of the world and ship equipment manufacturer, has recently entered Bangladesh’s fast growing market of marine and shipbuilding equipments.

‘Global suppliers are foreseeing that shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh has got a momentum and it will grow and grow further,’ he said.

Mobile user numbers grow 31pc

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Mobile user numbers grow 31pc
Star Business Report

The number of mobile subscribers in Bangladesh rose by nearly 31 percent last year to 6.86 crore despite high taxes on new connections, according to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

This is the highest ever increase in the growing mobile sector since the state-run BTRC started to disclose figures of customers nearly four years ago.

Last year, six mobile operators — one state-run and five private ones — altogether sold 1.621 crore new connections, 30.91 percent up compared to 2009, according to the regulator.

In 2009, the number of active subscribers grew by 17.45 percent and 29.88 percent in the year before.

Grameenphone, jointly owned by Telenor and Grameen Telecom, has retained the top position, adding 67 lakh users to take the total tally to 2.997 crore.

Second-placed Banglalink also made big stride, as it sold 56.5 lakh new connections. The number of its clients now stands at 1.9 crore.

Re-branded Robi, owned by Axiata (Bangladesh), a joint venture between Axiata Group Berhad, Malaysia, and NTT DOCOMO, Japan, added 30.7 lakh customers to end the year at third place with 1.236 crore users in total.

BJRI scientist invents tech to produce paper pulp from Dhanicha

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BJRI scientist invents tech to produce paper pulp from Dhanicha

DHAKA, Jan 13 (BSS)- A Bangladeshi scientist has invented a technology to produce newsprint paper and packaging materials from Dhanicha, a locally produced jute like fibrous plant.

Sheikh Abul Hasib, a Senior Scientific Officer (SSO) of Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI), invented the technology to produce molded pulp from fiber of Dhanicha to make paper and packaging materials.

Dhanicha, so far known as a weed that extensively grows across the country, is now usually used for fencing and fuel purposes in rural areas.

But, Hasib said, it would be a major source of pulp for manufacturing paper and packaging materials in coming days.

paper and packaging materials to be produced from Dhanicha will be less expensive and can be recycled after a life-cycle, the scientist said.

Manufacturing stage of the technology is over and BJRI will take initiative for patent of the technology, Hasib, who took three years time for this technology, said.

The know-how can be commercially used after completion of the process of the patent, he said.

Highlighting the salient feature of the new technology, Hasib said paper pulp can be produced from Dhanicha in normal atmospheric pressure and 60 to 80 degree centigrade temperature.

The pulp to be made under the process will be fully free from sulfur and chlorine, he said.

Hasib said, level of consumption of fuel in this technology is also very low as both `digestion’ and `bleaching’ of the fiber are done at the same time. For this purpose, he said, environment friendly chlorine dioxide (clo2) instead of chlorine (ci) is used.

Director general of BJRI Dr Kamal Uddin said the institute would give a public announcement about the innovation very soon. We are trying to procure a `digester’ which is required to make molded pulp from the fiber, he said.

“I firmly believe that the technology will be epoch making innovation for the country,” he said, adding, “I hope that it will be the cheapest technology to produce paper pulp in the world”.

Abul Hasib said, as cultivation of Dhanicha is very easy and it is produced round the year allover the country, supply of raw materials will be possible.

“The new technology will save valuable bamboo, wood and jute resources of the country which are now being used widely for producing paper pulp destroying the country’s forests and environment,” he said.

The BJRI DG said at the directives of Minister of Textiles and Jute Abdul Latif Siddiqui, the institute initiated the project to invent technology for diversified use of jute and jute products.

The invention of the technology of producing paper pulp from Dhanicha plant is a part of that endeavour, he said.

Govt to get into import gear

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Food Stocks
Govt to get into import gear
Staff Correspondent

In a bid to boost the food stocks and make the local commodity market stable, the government yesterday disclosed its mega food import strategies.

According to its decision, the government will import nine lakh tonnes of additional rice to increase the stock to 12 lakh tonnes. The authorities previously targeted importing three lakh tonnes of rice for 2010-11 fiscal year.

Like the staple food, the government will import an additional 2.50 lakh tonnes of wheat from its previous target of 7.50 lakh tonnes for the current fiscal year.

Such quick move is necessary because the prices of basic commodities have soared recently and Bangladesh wants to build her stock to tackle any foreseeable crisis, observed ministers.

It will import two lakh tonnes of sugar through the state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), Commerce Minister Faruk Khan told the journalists at a press briefing at his secretariat office after a coordination meeting.

The commerce minister held the emergency coordination meeting on ‘purchasing food grains and basic commodities from the international market’ with Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaque.

Two lakh tonnes of crude soybean and palm oil and 20,000 tonnes of grams (chick peas) will also be procured from the international market, added Faruk.

“Commerce ministry has asked for Tk 1000 crore from the government to strengthen the TCB, so that it can import the essentials to tackle the situation,” stated the minister.

The TCB will also import 10,000 tonnes of lentil to add to a stock of 25,000 tonnes, said Faruk adding, these are the government’s efforts beside the private sector’s continued imports.

“We are very worried with the prices and stocks of food items in the international market. This is why we are importing the food items to boost the stock and bring price stability in the local market,” mentioned the minister.

Abdur Razzaque said prices of rice in the local market have gone higher even in the full season of harvest because the mill owners stockpiled it for selling at higher prices in near future.

“I think the prices of rice and wheat are comparatively higher. We are making efforts considering the purchasing capacity of poor people,” said the minister.

“We are not purchasing from the internal market because it is unable to supply such a huge quantity of food grains.”

At present there is a stock of 8.22 lakh tonnes of rice and wheat in the government’s warehouses, he added.

Six lakh tonnes of rice and five lakh tonnes of wheat will arrive by next April because the letters of credit (LCs) have already been opened to this end, mentioned Razzaque.

“On Sunday, we have signed agreement with the Vietnamese government to import 2.50 lakh tonnes of rice. I hope the entire quantity will arrive at the end of February.”

The country will require 11,36,000 tonnes in rice and wheat by next April, he said adding, since the boro paddy will come by May, 7,86,000 tonnes of food grains will remain surplus in the government warehouses.

Replying to queries, Razzaque said a total of 3,80,000 tonnes of rice has already been imported and LCs for six lakh tonnes more have been opened up.

“We will import the remaining 2.50 lakh tonnes of rice mainly from Thailand and Pakistan.”

“We are in talks for importing three lakh tonnes of rice from India. If India does not agree we will not face problem as we have options to import the quantity from Thailand and Pakistan,” he said.