Dhaka, Mar 3 (UNB)- Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited organized a business development conference for agent banking at Islami Bank Training & Research Academy at Agrabad in Chattogram on Saturday.

Mohammed Monirul Moula, additional Managing Director of the Bank inaugurated the daylong conference as chief guest.

Md Mahboob Alam, Executive Vice President and Head of Agent Banking Division addressed the welcome speech on the occasion.

Md Nayer Azam, Head of Chattogram North Zone, GM Mohd Gias Uddin Quader, Head of Chattogram South Zone and Mohammed Shabbir, Head of Khatunganj Corporate Branch addressed the program as special guests.

Satkhira, Mar 2 (UNB) - Untimely rain for last four days in the district damaged huge raw-bricks that were stacked up in the open fields for drying causing massive loss to more than one-hundred brick kilns.

Saying that more than two-hundred brick fields are there in the district, Satkhira Brickfield Owners' Association General Secretary Rezaul Islam said that most of those have been drowned and tens of thousands of raw bricks have already been damaged due to the rain.

MD Abdus Sabur, president of the association said that each of the brickfields has to incur a loss of around TK 30 to 40 lakhs due to the heavy rain.

Brick kilns’ owners also said many of them had borrowed money from banks to run their business, but have to incur losses this season as it will be hard for them to repay loans.

Dhaka, Mar 2 (UNB) - A month-long voluntary blood donation camp has collected about 1000 bags of blood at the premises of the Ekushey Book Fair.

Police Blood Bank arranged the camp in association with ‘Mr. Noodles’.

Toshan Paul, head of marketing of Mr. Noodles, said, “We have collected on average of 30-40 bags of blood each day during the month0long book fair.

“We have received very good response from the young generation. Mr. Noodles has given noodles and cake to the bold donors as gift. Moreover, five pathological examinations of the donated bold have been done,” he said.

He said the donated blood have been stored at Police Blood Bank. Anyone can collect the blood as per requirement worth of Tk 500 as service charge and bold bag, he added.

Toshan Paul also said, “Mr. Noodles always try to stand beside the people of the country involving through this type of social activities. We are really proud to be a part of this great initiative.”

Dhaka Metropolitan Police has taken the initiative on the occasion of Amar Ekushey Book Fair.

Dhaka, Mar 1 (UNB) - President of Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation (BSFF) Syed Mahmudul Haque and Managing Director of Hendrix Genetics Aquaculture BV Neil Manchester have signed a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in The Hague to transfer knowledge and innovations for boosting black tiger shrimp production in Bangladesh.

The principal destination of black tiger shrimp is the European market, where the Netherlands tops the list both in terms of value (US$ 89.82 million in 2017-18) and volume. 

BSFF is a leading organisation in Bangladesh which has been working to promote black tiger shrimp in Bangladesh while Hendrix Genetics is an international research enterprise which has offices and establishments almost across the globe. 
 
Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal thanked the Dutch organisations and academics for their eagerness to work with Bangladesh and hoped that with the application of Dutch philosophy – doing more with less –Bangladesh would be able to bring a revolutionary change in its shrimp sector in terms of quality, quantity and sustainability.

Bangladesh's famous brand black tiger shrimp is highly sought after item in the European chain stores and restaurants where they call it 'Free Range Chicken' from the ponds of Bangladesh given its near organic process of production in Bangladesh, said the Bangladesh Embassy in The Hague on Friday.  

Meanwhile, the Embassy of Bangladesh in The Hague organised a seminar on ‘Shrimp Technology: How Bangladesh can be benefitted through Cutting-edge Dutch Technology’ on Wednesday.

More than 40 participants from different academic and research institutes, marketing agencies from the Netherlands as well as a high level visiting delegation from Bangladesh, led by Raisul Alam Mondal, Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of Bangladesh, and comprising representatives from the government and business organisation were present. 

The objective of the seminar was to promote the shrimp sector of Bangladesh through adopting sustainable aquaculture practices as well as marketing of Bangladeshi shrimp products in the Dutch markets. 

Director General, Department of Fisheries of Bangladesh, Abu Sayed Md Rashedul Haque, presented a presentation on “Black Tiger Shrimp of Bangladesh.” 

Dutch experts - Roel Bosma from Wageningen University and Research, Marcel Kloesmeijer from Octofrost, Arjen Roem from Skretting and Robbert Blonk from Hendrix Genetics BV - presented their presentations on the potential of mangrove integrated shrimp farming systems, high-tech shrimp cooking and freezing technology, latest developments in shrimp feed nutrition and iv feed management and latest development of shrimp genetics.

The 25-member Bangladesh delegation is paying a six-day visit to the Netherlands to get firsthand technological knowledge for further development of shrimp and aquaculture sector of Bangladesh.  

The main purpose of this visit is to explore market as well as knowledge driven avenues for sustainable production of Bangladesh's world renowned black tiger shrimp. 

The Dutch organisations - Solidaridad Network Asia, Seafood Trade Intelligence Portal and The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) jointly organised the visit, where manufacturers/exporters from Bangladesh had the opportunity to interact with the leading importers of shrimp in the EU. 

About 60 leading importers from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany were engaged in a daylong brainstorming session in Utrecht, The Hague and Amsterdam to facilitate expansion of Bangladesh's famous black tiger shrimp in the EU market. 

Importers in the Europe are almost unanimous that black shrimp tiger is their number one choice due to almost organic nature of production. 

They have suggested that Bangladesh should invest more for research and development of black tiger shrimp through collaboration with the leading EU research institutes and universities. 

Secretary Mondal thanked all the distinguished presence, especially Hendrix Genetics for their interests towards working with Bangladesh. 

He urged the Dutch companies to take the advantages of Blue Economy of Bangladesh as it is still not explored to the fullest.  

Dhaka, Feb 28 (UNB)- The workers of Garib and Garib Sweater Factory in Gazipur held a rally at the Jatiya Press Club on Thursday demanding unpaid wages.

They claimed the factory authorities also threatened to file cases against them. The workers sought the intervention of the government and BGMEA authorities.

National Garment Workers Federation President Amirul Haque Amin urged the factory authorities to pay the workers within the shortest possible time.

Alamgir Roni, president of Gonotantrik Garments Sramik Karmachari Federation, accused the company of harassing workers and torturing them. 

He threatened to intensify agitation if the workers are not paid and their harassment is not stopped.