Considering the location of Bhola, it can be the second biggest port in Bangladesh after Chittagong, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun said on Friday. "Since there is gas in Bhola, our main aim is to create entrepreneurship and employment there by utilizing that resources," the minister said at the inauguration ceremony of the construction of a gas connection line in the BSCIC Industrial area of Bhola Sadar. 9 more wells to be drilled in Bhola to expedite local gas production: Nasrul Hamid He also said that the small cottage industry is playing a vital role in our rural economy. “Specially during the Covid pandemic, we have seen that small entrepreneurs saved the lifeline of the rural economy. They kept running markets providing their products.” The industries minister also said that Bhola's BSIC is currently running in small scale and its areas can be expanded  in future, he mentioned. Rare olive ridley turtle rescued in Bhola Nurul Majid said Bhola is rich in gas, big companies have already started coming here. “Big companies like Celltech are producing ceramics here. Others are also showing interest in the industry. All in all, Bhola is a very promising place to invest, “the minister added. Presided over by Deputy Commissioner Arifuzzaman, Senior Secretary Zakia Sultana, BCIC director Akhil Chandra Poddar, District Parishad Chairman Abdul Momin Tulu, Additional Superintendent of Police Asaduzzaman, District Awami League General Secretary Mainul Hossain Biplab, Bhola BCIC also spoke. 12th national election: Awami League bags all four seats in Bhola

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun has invited businesses, especially SMEs, to invest in unused plots in the BSCIC - Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation - industrial areas across the country. The minister made the invitation during a meeting with the Board of Directors of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) led by its President Ashraf Ahmed at his ministry office on Monday. Over 3,000 industrial factories set up in BSCIC estates since 2009: Industries Minister   He said that in the context of existing global and regional geo-economic volatility, industries have to concentrate on formulating proper plans to best utilize our internal resources. Recognizing SMEs as a lifeline of the economy, the industries minister - one of just said the government will continue conducting necessary training, skill development activities, market expansion and utilization of technology. He also said that inflation control and to stabilize the local market in the upcoming Ramadan season is the most important priority now and the government is vigorously working on it. For this, he requested the business community to help the government by all means. Industries minister says sugar shortage 'artificial,' blames traders' hoarding Dhaka Chamber President Ashraf Ahmed expressed DCCI’s willingness to work in support of all the initiatives of the Ministry of Industries to the maximum possible.  He also expressed his keen interest to work on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) issues, and productivity enhancement initiatives i.e. national productivity-related issues with modern technology adaptation to be more competitive both in the local and international markets. He also stressed the need to support various new industries, including through fiscal measures like export incentives, customs bonds, etc. He later urged for the expansion of BSCIC industrial area for the expansion of industrialization in the country. Stock of urea fertilizer sufficient: Industries Minister DCCI Senior Vice President Malik Talha Ismail Bari, Vice President Md. Junaed Ibna Ali, members of the board of DCCI, DG of DPDT Md. Munim Hassan, DG of NPO Md. Mesbahul Alam, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Industries Md. Anwarul Alam were also present during the meeting.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Sunday said Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in the ship recycling industry in terms of environmental issues, professional and health safety. The Minister made the remark when Norwegian Ambassador to Bangladesh Espen Rikter-Svendsen met him at the latter’s office here in Dhaka, said a PID handout. Nurul Majid said the ship recycling sector was on the verge of closure due to failure to prevent environmental pollution, various accidents and negative publicity at home and abroad. In 2011, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared ship recycling as an industry. The Ministry of Industries issued the 'Shipbreaking and Ship Recycling Rules' in 2011 and enacted the 'Bangladesh Ship Recycling Act' in 2018 as part of developing the sector, he said. Read: Stock of urea fertilizer sufficient: Industries Minister The Norwegian ambassador urged the Government of Bangladesh to ratify the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 (The Hong Kong Convention). As a result of the ratification of this convention, Bangladesh will have the opportunity to take the lead in ship recycling, he said. The ambassador said Norway is a shipbuilding nation and a large number of its expired vessels are there for recycling. Bangladeshi yards can be benefited by exploiting this opportunity, he said. “For this, environmental and safety issues should be given importance,” said the Norwegian envoy, adding that if the Hong Kong Convention is ratified by 2023, Bangladesh will get two more years to comply with the related conditions. In response, the Industries Minister said Bangladesh's government is considering the ratification of 'The Hong Kong Convention' introduced by the International Maritime Organization. He said a yard named PHP Shipbreaking and Ship Recycling Industries Limited in Bangladesh has already achieved the industry's highest compliance certificate. In the light of the decision of the Ministry of Industry, 85 yards have already prepared 'Ship Recycling Facility Plan' for the technical and structural development of the yards and the target was set for implementation of the plan within the next two years, he added.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Friday said Bangladesh meets the demand for urea with local production besides importing it from other countries. “Now Bangladesh has enough stock of urea fertilizer,” he said, replying to a question from journalists at Tungipara in Gopalganj. Earlier, a team led by the Industries Minister and State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Majumder paid homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman placing wreaths at his mausoleum in Tungipara, said a PID handout here. Read: Urea fertilizer price to readjusted in line with global market rate: Minister Nurul Majid said the prices of cement and rod have increased. The government has been making efforts to ease the sufferings of the people. In the next few months, the situation will be improved largely, he added. Later, the industries minister joined a function arranged to unveil the plaque of a buffer godown for fertilizer, which is being constructed by Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) at Ghonapara in Gopalganj Sadar upazila. Addressing the function, he said the country has a demand for at least 25 lakh metric tons of urea fertilizer. But it needs to meet 60pc-70pc of this demand by importing urea from foreign countries. Majid said the imported fertilizers are supplied to the rural farmers through 25 buffer godowns of BADC, which are located in different districts. He said the Gopalganj fertilizer godown with the capacity of 10,000 metric tons is being implemented at the cost of some 34 crore. The physical progress of the warehouse is 40 percent. The minister directed the project authority to complete the project soon.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Sunday told Parliament that Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) reopened 715 industrial factories in the last 13 years. “Some 715 closed industrial factories were recommenced by BSCIC from 2009 to 2022,” he said replying to a starred question from Awami League MP Mozaffar Hossain (Jamalpur-5). Besides, Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC) restarted its industrial firm Dhaka Steel Works Limited (DSWL) at Tongi in Gazipur on July 5, 2018, said the Minister. Read:JS passes bill to check boiler-related accidents, ensure safety in industries He said a feasibility study for modernization of the DSWL was completed on June 30, 2021. With Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair, the question-answer session was tabled at parliament. In reply to another starred question from ruling party MP Habibur Rahman (Bogura-5), the industries minister said BSCIC has taken initiative to set up agriculture-based industrial estates or parks in five districts – Thakurgaon, Rangpur, Bogura, Meherpur and Tangail. The proposed industrial estates or parks are BSCIC Food Processing Industrial Estate in Thakurgaon, BSCIC Madhupur Industrial Park (for processing agro goods including pineapple) in Tangail, BSCIC North Regional Agricultural Goods Processing Industrial Park in Bogura, BSCIC Agricultural Processing Industrial Estate in Rangpur and BSCIC Agricultural Goods Processing Industrial Park in Meherpur.        There are now 79 BSCIC industrial estates across the country, Nurul Majid said responding to a  question from Jatiya Party MP Rustum Ali Faraji (Pirojpur-3). Read:Overhead electricity cables to go underground in major cities: Nasrul Hamid Responding to another question from AL MP Ali Azam (Bhola-2), the industries minister said there are 15 state-owned sugar mills in the country. But only one mill -- Carew & Co BD Ltd-- is a profitable one and the remaining 14 mills can’t make profit, said Nurul Majid. Among the 14 mills, threshing of sugarcanes in six mills (in Panchagarh, Setabganj, Shyampur, Rangpur, Pabna and Kushtia) has remained suspended since 2020-21 season, he said.

Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy Limited has been awarded the “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial Award 2020” for its outstanding contribution in the solar power sector. A total of 23 companies have received ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial Award 2020’ in seven categories for their contributions to the country’s economic growth. Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun distributed the award among the recipients at a programme at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka on Thursday. Read: Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy wins Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial Award Munawar Misbah Moin, managing director and Engineer Mohin Habib, chief executive officer of the company, were present on the occasion. This was the first time that the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Award was introduced in seven categories. The award will be given every year from now on, Industries Ministry Deputy Secretary Mostaq Ahmed told the function.

A total of 23 companies on Thursday received "Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial Award 2020" in seven categories for their contributions to the country’s economic growth. Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun distributed the award among the recipients at a programme at Osmani Memorial Auditorium. This was the first time that the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Award was introduced in seven categories.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Wednesday urged the Russian entrepreneurs to invest in different sectors in Bangladesh including fertilizer, cement, leather and shipbuilding. He made the call when Russian ambassador in Dhaka Aleksandr Mantytsky met the minister at the latter’s office here. The Industries Minister told the Russian envoy that there is huge demand for fertilizer in Bangladesh as it is mainly an agriculture-driven country. READ: No decision to shut down sugar mills: Industries Minister Besides, the trade relations between the two countries can be strengthened further through joint investments in cement, light engineering, leather, ceramic, pharmaceuticals, paper, chemical and shipbuilding sectors, he said. In the meeting, they discussed the bilateral investment protection agreement proposed by Russia. The two sides agreed over signing the deal following negotiations. The Minister asked the ambassador for quick signing of a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI) and Russian Federal Agency on Technology Regulation and Metrology.  Nurul Majid said Bangladesh has already placed the draft MoU before Russia through diplomatic channels and if needed, the draft deal could be revised. In reply, the Russian ambassador assured of taking necessary measures in this regard. READ: Bangladesh to roll out its first car next year, says Industries Minister The both sides agreed to discuss the issues related to Bangladesh-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the next meeting. Aleksandr Mantytsky invited the minister to visit Russia, said a PID handout.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Sunday called upon the private sector and foreign investors to set up spare parts and tools manufacturing unit in Bangladesh’s Economic Zones (EZs). “The government is relentlessly working for the industrialisation of the country. Research and innovation in the sectors are more important,” he told a webinar organised by Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) titled “Automobile Industry Development: Present Situation & Future Prospects”. Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki said Bangladesh has a strong possibility to establish its own local automobile industry. “When we talk about export diversification, the automobile, light engineering and agriculture-based sector can play a vital role,” he said. Japanese Mitsubishi Motors showed interest to invest in Bangladesh in the CKD (Completely Knocked Down Units) assembling plant, he said. “Mitsubishi and Ministry of Industries came to an agreement last month to sign an MOU to conduct a joint feasibility study on the viability of investment. It’ll create technology transfer and employment opportunities for Bangladesh.” He also urged for policy support, tax benefits and incentives to grow the industry. Also read: No decision to shut down sugar mills: Industries Minister Humayun said a comprehensive policy will be pursued especially for this industry, if needed. DCCI President Rizwan Rahman said at least 5-10 years sustaining tariff policy should be taken to support the local vehicle assembling and manufacturing industry. He said that Bangladesh’s automobile sector is mainly dominated by imported reconditioned and new vehicles mostly from Japan, China, India, Europe and the USA. Considering the growing market demand, local and foreign investors are now showing interests to invest in the automobile industry. “Prior to the COVID-19, the automobile market was growing by 15 percent to 20 percent with 12 percent growth in auto parts yearly. Despite having potentials, the absence of long-term policy and consistent tax structure, lack of domestic source of raw materials and relevant skilled human resources, as well as- inadequate backward linkage limit the automobile manufacturing industry development,” he added. He also urged for a long-term policy and a minimum 5-10 years sustaining tariff policy to support the assembling and manufacturing of vehicles. Rizwan also suggested setting up a separate Automobile Zone and allowing joint ventures for parts manufacturing to create local experts. Presenting the keynote paper, Taskeen Ahmed, Deputy Managing Director of IFAD Group highlighted that Bangladesh has made a tremendous progress in the infrastructure sector in the recent past. Also read: Bangladesh to roll out its first car next year, says Industries Minister He said the completion of Padma Bridge will create high local demand for commercial vehicles. Moreover, the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement would boost commercial vehicle growth on regional trade dynamics shift. “After the draft Automobile Policy 2018, the market size of motorcycle industry went to a new height. Total investment in this sector is Tk 8,000 crore contributing 0.5 percent to the GDP now. Whereas, reconditioned car constitutes 50 percent of the total car market, on the other hand, 45 percent are used and only 5 percent are brand new. As per the draft, automobile policy government plans to impose a ban on used car imports give incentives to facilitate local industry,” he said. Taskeen said the commercial vehicle market is around $1 billion and the growth will be sustained in the future. In the light engineering sector, the market size of auto parts industry is about Tk 1,400 crore with an annual growth rate of 12 percent, he said. John D Dunham, Economic and Indo-Pacific Affairs Unit Chief of the US Embassy said Bangladesh was able to show tremendous growth especially during the last decade. “Bangladesh is graduating into a developing country; therefore, the government needs to tailor ideal policies like tax and investment policies. Bangladesh’s prosperity is important to the USA,” he said. Md Touhiduzzaman, Managing Director of Pragati Industries Ltd, said, “We want vehicles to be manufactured locally. The more assembler will come the more the sector will boost. Also, focus needs to be given to spare parts manufacturing locally. Every assembler should have a research and development cell for improvement.” Matiur Rahman, Chairman & Managing Director of Uttara Group of Companies said, “We’re far behind in this sector. A long-term policy and incentives will foster this sector. This is a promising sector and has the opportunity to attract private sector investment. “ Also read: Zero-accident, zero-pollution policy adopted: Industries Minister Engineer Syed Imtiaz Ahmed, President of Signal Stream Inc, Canada, said that if Bangladesh can focus on manufacturing electronic control units (ECU) in Bangladesh that are massively used by car and other vehicles manufacturers, then the country will be able to grab a portion of the world automobile industry very soon. Abdul Haque, President of BARVIDA, said that the taxation policy should be industry-friendly and the industry needs more consistent policy support. The market of three-wheelers is being enlarged in Bangladesh. He also urged for policy consistency and creating affordability of middle-class people. Hayakawa Yuho, Chief Representative of JICA Bangladesh, said an appropriate industrial policy is needed to protect and nurture the sector. “The government may think of providing investment incentives to the private sector investors from home and abroad. The automobile policy should be carefully formulated and implemented since the situation in this sector changes day by day,” he said.

Women entrepreneurs will be provided with plots in the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) on priority basis, said Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Sunday.