According to a document of the Industries Ministry, the government has taken various initiatives, including BMR (Balancing, Modernisation and Replacement), to this end.
As per the document, the government is taking projects to conduct BMR in all 15 sugar mills under the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation. Currently, the BMR project is going on in Keru and Co BD Limited.
Initiatives have been taken to produce sugar from the sugar beet throughout the year in all sugar mills apart from producing white sugar from imported raw sugar.
The Industries Ministry has undertaken multiple projects to diversify sugar products by tapping the existing potential to make the mills profitable. These mills produce sugar from sugarcane supplied by its growers.
The country needs 1.5 million tonnes of refined sugar every year, most of which is met through imports, according to official data. There are 15 sugar mills under the BSFIC with 0.21 million tonnes of production capacity per year.
The ministry has taken an initiative to modernise the Karnaphuli Paper Mills to make it profitable.
Besides, a project has been taken to transform the Chhatak Cement Factory from the wet process to dry process for running it profitably.
The government has decided to establish Ghorashal Palash Urea Fertiliser Factory merging Ghorashal Urea Fertiliser Factory and Palash Urea Fertiliser Factory.
The document said to make the Gazi Wires Limited profitable, steps have been taken to replace the old machinery while process is on to procure new machinery for General Electric Manufacturing Company to enhance its production capacity.
Besides, to produce disposable razor blade, an initiative has been taken to modernise the machinery of Bangladesh Blade Factory Limited while steps have been taken to open the Dhaka Steel Workers Limited.
To boost the production capacity of Eastern Cables Limited, steps have been taken to set up XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) insulated cable plant.
Talking to UNB, a senior official of the Industries Ministry said the government has taken these moves to make the state-run mills profitable to generate more employment in these mills. "If we can modernise the mills and factories, these will increase production as well as the profit,” he said.