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Bangladesh Economy: News & Updates

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Dhaka set to launch Mission Africa

Tuesday, 03 August 2010 20:58

Dhaka set to launch Mission Africa

Dhaka set to launch Mission Africa
Author / Source : ANIS ALAMGIR

'Mission Africa,' the new initiative of the Bangladesh foreign ministry aimed at exploring four major areas in the second largest continent of the world, will set sail from August 23.
Thanks for the news clip. The news above concentrated on our diplomatic activities in the future. But, it did not say about one very important business opportunity for some, if not all, of the african countries. That is the possibility of exporting raw cotton to BD by a number of central african countries.

Many of these countries produce very high quality cotton, but cannot export to the outside world because of many bottlenecks. On the contrary, BD imports most of its cotton from India. Because Indian supplies fluctuate every year and BD demand is also very high, therefore, it is importing this item also from Pakistan as well as from a few central asian coutries.

BD's export value of apparels was about $12.5 billion last fiscal and the market is expanding. It has created an opportunity for the cotton producing african countries to export their produce to BD. Ambassadors/representatives from these countries have held meetings with BD govt and apparel manufacturing organizations.

The main bottleneck in the african side is, it takes about three months for them to bring their goods to the nearest port. It is all because they have very weak infrstructures. So, BD govt has proposed that these african govts rent big warehouses in Chittagong and stock their products there, so that our traders can immediately buy their goods.

When I talked about this prospect to my african friends and told them that their export volume may surpass $2 billion in the future, they were quite surprised. It is just a big money. I think this kind of economic cooperation by BD will help bring about the economic emancipation of african people and will create a very positive attitude about BD in their minds.
 
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Local co targets export of refurbished vehicles

Sunday, 15 August 2010 21:08

Business

Local co targets export of refurbished vehicles
Shakhawat Hossain

3G Engineering Limited — the country’s first export oriented auto refurbishing plant at Mongla Export Processing Zone in Khulna — would start operation from next November, said officials.

Construction of the factory on a 1,200 square meter area at Mongla EPZ would be completed in October, general manager of the company Sailen Mondal told New Age on Saturday.

The company is expecting to start reconditioning and refurbishing imported old vehicles in the following months which would help the company to ship out the first consignment of the vehicles early next year.

The exported consignment would have at least 100 redecorated cars including double-decker and single-decker buses, jeeps and other vehicles, he said.

3G Engineering was established by a 35-year old Bangladeshi-born British citizen, Abdul Jahan, last year when the company struck a deal with Mongla EPZ to invest US$ 11 million to set up the factory with most modern equipments having capacity to roll out 400 old vehicles in new shape annually.

Jahan said they would import old vehicles like Volvo, Mercedes Benz, BMW and Land Rover mainly from Europe to refurbish those.

Such vehicles have strong demand in countries like South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria as they cost one-thirds of the prices of new ones, he said.

3G Engineering Ltd was scheduled to start its operation last July, but faced delay because of problems among the directors of the company, it was learnt.

The company would hire 10 automobile engineers from England and also create employment opportunity for 206 Bangladeshis in the initial years. The number of workers would go up with the progress of the plant, said Mondal.

This is an interesting project that will help the country to produce skilled workforce, said a senior official of Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority.

‘We don’t have any practical knowledge about the refurbished consumers’ items like vehicles, refrigerators, air coolers and computers,’ he said, adding that the EPZ authority was eagerly waiting for the commissioning of the factory.
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Local investments grow by 5.67 percent in last fiscal


Monday, 16 August 2010 23:55

The New Nation - Internet Edition

Local investments grow by 5.67 percent in last fiscal
BSS, Dhaka

The country has experienced a 5.67 percent rise in domestic investment during the last fiscal ending June this year, despite a global economic meltdown that led to slow pace of foreign direct investment in Bangladesh.

Board of Investment (BOI) sources on Monday said a total of 1,470 development projects involving Taka 33,674 crore were registered with the government during 2009-'10 fiscal against Taka 31,867 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

"The highest number of projects registered were from readymade garments," said an official of the BOI, adding a total of 642 projects were enlisted in RMG during the period, followed by 258 in engineering and 200 in chemical sector.

The UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in its report has showed higher growth of domestic investment in Bangladesh amid a recession in foreign direct investments last year.

The domestic investment has experienced a depression over years, especially between 2006 and 2008, sources said.
 
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Summit Power-GE joint move to boost electricity generation

Sunday, 15 August 2010 21:09

Summit Power-GE joint move to boost electricity generation

Summit Power-GE joint move to boost electricity generation
M Azizur Rahman

Summit Power Ltd, one of the country's fastest growing power generation companies, has partnered with global power giant General Electric (GE) to boost electricity generation by at least five times to 1,667 megawatts (mw) in next five years.

"We have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US-based GE which has agreed to join us in our future combined cycle electricity generation projects," Summit Power Chairman Muhammed Aziz Khan told the FE in an exclusive interview.

He said the GE has committed to take up 20 per cent equity and provide technical support in Summit's combined cycle power generation ventures.

Summit Power, which has already emerged as the country's biggest private sector power generation company with current output of 350 mw, also received 'encouraging' signals from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to help implement its upcoming power generation projects.

The Manila-based multilateral donor agency has recently issued a letter of intent (LoI) to be associated with Summit Power in its power generation ventures, said the top brass of Summit.

"We are also in talks with world's leading engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors to engage them with Summit's future power generation projects," said Mr Khan.

He said that Summit is very well positioned to receive award of substantial number of electricity generation projects and is on right track to arrange necessary funds, adequate technology and sufficient manpower.

Summit Power has already been short listed by the Power Ministry for setting up several big power plant projects including Bibiyana 300 mw-450 mw combined cycle power plant (unit 1), Meghnaghhat dual fuel 300 mw-450 mw combined cycle power plant, Bibiyana 300 mw-450 mw combined cycle power plant (unit 2) and Bhola 150 mw-225 mw combined cycle power plant.

Bangladesh Power Development Board and the ministry has already qualified Summit primarily for installing these projects after scrutinising bids, experience and the company's commitment.

Awarding of these power plant projects would be completed within months.

It has also submitted bids for setting up three more power plants -Madanganj 150 mw-225 mw plant, Keraniganj 150 mw-225 mw plant and Jamalpur 100 mw power plant.

Evaluation of these projects would be completed soon.

The power ministry floated tenders for setting up these power plants in line with the government's commitment to add an additional 9,426 mw of electricity by 2015.

The government has already put the power generation activities on top of its priority lists and in line with its commitment to augment electricity generation in its election manifesto.

It has decided to come up with a number of new power plant projects to implement a mega plan to generate 20,000 mw of electricity by 2021.

"We will take part in all the future biddings for upcoming power plant projects to reach our electricity generation target," the Summit Power chairman said.

He said the company has concentrated on power generation business from the very outset and became the country's first successful private IPP and commissioned three small power plants at different locations totalling its generation capacity to only 33 mw in 2001.

As the outcome of its sincerity and dedication, Summit has boosted its overall electricity generation by over 10 times to 350 mw within the past nine years.

"Summit is now more organised than ever before," said Mr Khan.

The company posted 74 per cent rise in profit to Tk 5.60 billion in the first half of 2010, compared to the same period a year ago, strengthening its foothold in electricity generation.

The country is now reeling under an acute electricity crisis as the overall generation is hovering around 3,800 mw against the official demand by Power Development Board (PDB) of 5,200 mw.

At present only 40 per cent of the country's 160 million plus population have access to electricity.

Summit Power chairman believes that the country's overall electricity demand would exceed far more than what the government is currently stating once the remaining 60 per cent population come under electricity coverage.
 
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Plan to build 3rd seaport at Kuakata

Sunday, 15 August 2010 21:10

Plan to build 3rd seaport at Kuakata

Plan to build 3rd seaport at Kuakata
Jasim Uddin Khan

The government has started the groundwork for the country's third seaport at Kuakata aiming to improve the economic condition of the people in the region as well as to facilitate India, Nepal and Bhutan to transit goods.

A high-powered technical committee, headed by Captain S Arif Mahmood, member (marine and harbour), Chittagong port authority, visited Kuakata last month and primarily recommended the site for a port.

The committee submitted its report to the shipping ministry last week.

"The site is feasible as we observed from the surface,” Mahmood said on Tuesday, “We suggested that the government carry out a techno-economic feasibility study before going ahead with the construction."

Shipping Minister Sahjahan Khan on Wednesday said everything will be finalised based on the technical report, adding, "It'll be a small port initially.”

A seaport in Kuakata will make movement of goods more convenient than through the ports at Chittagong and Mongla, since it is positioned at the centre of the coast, the minister earlier said.

Chittagong port is the country's prime seaport that handles about 90 per cent maritime export-import trade with an average 10 per cent yearly growth. The Mongla port, the second largest seaport, handles the rest 10 per cent of the trade.

If all goes well, the construction of the port will begin by 2012 with an estimated cost of Tk 2500 crore that includes the construction cost of some 34 km link road, a shipping ministry official said.

The source of funding, however, is still unknown but the government is likely to approach foreign donors, said the official, who sought anonymity on the ground that it is too early to comment.

Under the transit agreements with India and Nepal, Bangladesh expects some five lakh containers a year from these two countries and possibly from Bhutan. Once in operation, the port will handle nearly half of these containers, he said.

The government move came following a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry that suggested building a third seaport in Patuakhali region earlier this year.

State Minister for water resources Mahbubur Rahman, also a member of the committee, wrote a letter to the shipping ministry suggesting to undertake initiatives in this regard following the meeting.

The shipping minister then visited the proposed site on May 21 this year and said at a rally that the government is planning to build a seaport there.

It would be wise for the government to establish a third seaport in the Patuakhali region, Rahman, a lawmaker for Patuakhali-4 constituency, said in his letter to the shipping ministry.

It will help develop the economic condition of the people in this underdeveloped coastal area, the letter stated.

According to the government district portal, the total population in Patuakhali district is 15,37,137 mostly depending on agriculture, fishing and rearing livestock.
 
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Plan to build 3rd seaport at Kuakata

Sunday, 15 August 2010 21:10

Plan to build 3rd seaport at Kuakata

Plan to build 3rd seaport at Kuakata
Jasim Uddin Khan

The government has started the groundwork for the country's third seaport at Kuakata aiming to improve the economic condition of the people in the region as well as to facilitate India, Nepal and Bhutan to transit goods.

A high-powered technical committee, headed by Captain S Arif Mahmood, member (marine and harbour), Chittagong port authority, visited Kuakata last month and primarily recommended the site for a port.

The committee submitted its report to the shipping ministry last week.

"The site is feasible as we observed from the surface,” Mahmood said on Tuesday, “We suggested that the government carry out a techno-economic feasibility study before going ahead with the construction."

Shipping Minister Sahjahan Khan on Wednesday said everything will be finalised based on the technical report, adding, "It'll be a small port initially.”

A seaport in Kuakata will make movement of goods more convenient than through the ports at Chittagong and Mongla, since it is positioned at the centre of the coast, the minister earlier said.

Chittagong port is the country's prime seaport that handles about 90 per cent maritime export-import trade with an average 10 per cent yearly growth. The Mongla port, the second largest seaport, handles the rest 10 per cent of the trade.

If all goes well, the construction of the port will begin by 2012 with an estimated cost of Tk 2500 crore that includes the construction cost of some 34 km link road, a shipping ministry official said.

The source of funding, however, is still unknown but the government is likely to approach foreign donors, said the official, who sought anonymity on the ground that it is too early to comment.

Under the transit agreements with India and Nepal, Bangladesh expects some five lakh containers a year from these two countries and possibly from Bhutan. Once in operation, the port will handle nearly half of these containers, he said.

The government move came following a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry that suggested building a third seaport in Patuakhali region earlier this year.

State Minister for water resources Mahbubur Rahman, also a member of the committee, wrote a letter to the shipping ministry suggesting to undertake initiatives in this regard following the meeting.

The shipping minister then visited the proposed site on May 21 this year and said at a rally that the government is planning to build a seaport there.

It would be wise for the government to establish a third seaport in the Patuakhali region, Rahman, a lawmaker for Patuakhali-4 constituency, said in his letter to the shipping ministry.

It will help develop the economic condition of the people in this underdeveloped coastal area, the letter stated.

According to the government district portal, the total population in Patuakhali district is 15,37,137 mostly depending on agriculture, fishing and rearing livestock.

Ek tanete jemon temon
du tanete rugi.
Tin tanete raja ujir
char taanete sukhi
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Above are some lines of a song, the theme of which reflects Gaja's impact on one's thinking. Whereas BD's economy is in complete doldrum with the dry up of FDI, excessive borrwing from banks, downward trend in foreign currency flow and lesser of exports in ever passing months; Our friend Sami6108 likes to glorify it with korenge i.e 'Futuristic hope' that seems like synonymous to Gaja, oh Awamy Gaja's impact, no?
 
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Plan to build 3rd seaport at Kuakata

Sunday, 15 August 2010 21:10

Plan to build 3rd seaport at Kuakata

Plan to build 3rd seaport at Kuakata
Jasim Uddin Khan
A seaport is certainly a project that cannot be built in one or two years. I just hope the name will be Kuakata Port, and not something in the name of Begum Hasina's father or mother, such as Bangopita Port or Bangomata Port.

A port in Kuakata will serve centrally located areas in Barisal Division and old Faridpur District with a population of more than 20 million (assumed). Not only that, after the completion of 6.2 km Padma Bridge, the new Port may be nearer to Dhaka than the present CTG Port is, at least in terms of travel time.

I would also prefer the construction of a harbour too in the coastal sea with a 6 metre high seawall so that the ships and fishing boats can take shelter during cyclones.
 
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Excellent Work by BD Government - I see only good news from Bangladesh.I can see Bangladesh GDP Doubling in a decade.

Thanks. If the GDP increases 6% every year for the next 12 yrs, then it will double by that time. The present rate of increase is approximately 6%.
 
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A seaport is certainly a project that cannot be built in one or two years. I just hope the name will be Kuakata Port, and not something in the name of Begum Hasina's father or mother, such as Bangopita Port or Bangomata Port.

A port in Kuakata will serve centrally located areas in Barisal Division and old Faridpur District with a population of more than 20 million (assumed). Not only that, after the completion of 6.2 km Padma Bridge, the new Port may be nearer to Dhaka than the present CTG Port is, at least in terms of travel time.

I would also prefer the construction of a harbour too in the coastal sea with a 6 metre high seawall so that the ships and fishing boats can take shelter during cyclones.

When Mongla is dying, how feasible will it be for Kuakata? Will it be another VOTE making project or is there any substance to this project? Im just little cynic about this project. :undecided:
 
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When Mongla is dying, how feasible will it be for Kuakata? Will it be another VOTE making project or is there any substance to this project? Im just little cynic about this project. :undecided:

It is a good question. When Mongla is in ruin for more than two decades, then why another port? Sometimes I read in the newspapers that Khulna/Jessore zone is fast becoming a hub for smalll industries. I have also read that the industrialists import machineries not via Mongla, but via CTG.

The PM was telling other day that CTG port is under-utilized at only 40% of its capacity. Now, suddenly the PM declared another of her dream project in Kuakata.

Very difficult to guess what is in her mind. May be it is to keep the people in Barisal busy with guessing and hoping. Perhaps, you are right. The project will remain in the dream, but will bring votes to the ruling party. So, it may be an election ploy.

Like CTG and Mongla, even small ships cannot enter Kuakata, unless it is built in deep sea. So, Kuakata at best can be a port suitable only for use by the coasters. Medium ships will be anchored off the CTG port and small coasters would unload the cargo at Kuakata.

I think, before the govt runs after a new port, it should try to save Mongla by hauling cargo from ships anchored off the CTG shore.
 
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S’pore keen to hire 40,000 maids from Bangladesh

Although demand for the country's labourers has been shrinking over the world recently due to the global economic meltdown, Singapore is very keen to hire some 40,000 maids from Bangladesh, reports UNB.

The Singapore government is expecting that the hiring process will start within the next three months.

The offer came when a four-member delegation of Singapore's Association of Employment Agencies (AEA) called on Labour and Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain at his office Thursday.

AEA President Shirley N Chion Peng led the delegation, accompanied by Johnny Lim, Huah Teng Lin and Sowmia Latha.

During the meeting, the delegation informed the minister that at present some 190,000 housemaids are required in Singapore, out of which they are willing to hire some 40,000 from Bangladesh and the number will be increased gradually.

The Singapore government has fixed the housemaids' monthly salary at US $250. The required educational qualification of the housemaids is Grade 8.

The delegation also informed that they will sign a formal agreement with the Bangladeshi government soon in this regard.

Khandker Mosharraf Hossain said that although this is the first offer of hiring housemaid from Singapore, more labourers will be sent to other sectors in Singapore as in the past, and he has made a request to this effect.

S’pore keen to hire 40,000 maids from Bangladesh
 
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BGMEA lauds govt decision to revive 270 sick RMG units

BGMEA Thursday appreciated the government's latest decision of reviving 270 sick garment factories to help rehabilitate the units by resuming production.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) in a statement said the decision has proved that the government is industry and labour-friendly.

The government's decision came considering the important role of the ready-made garments (RMG) sector in national economy and export trade, and in creating employment opportunity.

According to the decision, the sick industries will get an opportunity to receive fresh loans, and repay the principal amount of their default bank loans in 10-yearly instalments. Owners of the sick garment industries will not have to pay any amount for getting their default loans rescheduled.

Earlier, the BGMEA submitted a list of 270 garment factories to the Finance Ministry to avail the special financial facility.

A senior BGMEA official said the steps would help the closed garment factories resume their production. "The garment sector is doing well amid various internal and external challenges. We want speedy and smooth implementation of the decision to enhance our export," he added.

BGMEA lauds govt decision to revive 270 sick RMG units
 
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