RAJSHAHI, – The industrial estate of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) in Rajshahi has created job opportunities for 1,505 people in various trades in the last 2019-2020 fiscal year that showing the progress of 114 percent.
The people got the jobs in various fields like enterprise development, skill development and training, industry ownership transfer and establishment of new industries. Employment for around 6,500 people is expected to be generated in the next five years, said Jafor Bayazid, deputy general manager of BSCIC.
He said 197 people were imparted entrepreneurship and skill development training, while 380 others trained on computer, food processing, cutting and sewing, mobile phone repairing, electrical and house wearing and motor driving. Meanwhile, the Rajshahi BSCIC has been manufacturing various personal protective gears including disinfectants to fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Jafor Bayazid said 76 industrial estates across the country have been producing a wide range of essential medicines and medical supplies, including disinfectant hand sanitizer since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country. In line with this, Rajshahi Industrial Estate is leading in the production of disinfectant hand sanitizer.
In addition to manufacturing of hand sanitizers, personal protective equipment (PPEs) and masks, successful marketing of those were arranged. The estate has, so far, produced and marketed around 2.50 lakh bottles of hand sanitizers, 3,000 PPEs and 6.60 lakh surgical face masks contributing a lot to meeting up the gradually mounting demands of those everywhere in the society to cope with the present crisis situation.
Twelve rice mills are producing 450 tonnes of rice, three mills producing 250 tonnes of pulse and an automatic mill producing 450 tonnes of flour daily on an average playing a vital role towards food security besides job creation for many unemployed people. Besides, the estate is producing different life saving medicines, essential commodities and medical supplies, including 1,200 liters of hand sanitizer daily.
Tim Pharmaceutical Limited of the industrial city has already produced 12,000 to 15,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. The hand sanitizers are being supplied to different districts, upazilas and even union levels across the country.
Besides, the company has produced 10,000 packets of various life-saving drugs with a market value of around Taka 50 lakh. The productive activities have generated fresh job opportunities for 250 people both male and female through maintaining health directives.
Moreover, three more companies — Asoka Laboratories, Hawks Pharma and Shahi Laboratories — are producing Unani or Ayurvedic medicines by following the hygiene rules. Among the industrial units in the industrial estate, there are 46 food item producing factories.
The factories are producing different items, including rice, pulse, flour, semai (vermicelli), chanachur, biscuits, cakes, bread, mustard oil, ice cream and pure drinking water. Among the factories, Nova Asia Agro Industries is exporting 100 percent of its food products to the United States and Canada.
The 325-plot BSCIC industrial estate, established in 1961 on 95.71 acres of land on the city’s outskirts, has been providing electricity, water supply, security, road and drainage facilities to the entrepreneurs for running their business. Several silk-clothes manufacturing units earned reputation for their quality products. They expect that there would be no more sick industry in the estate, the official said.
Terming the BSCIC industrial area viable for any small and medium industry, Liakat Ali, president of Bangladesh Silk Industries Owners Association, said the entrepreneurs are making a profit and demanding uninterrupted power and gas supply to the BSCIC for reducing production costs.
