Industries starting to flourish following Covid-19

Factories at the industrial estate of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) in Jhenaidah are starting to flourish after being under threat of closure amid the pandemic years from 2019 to 2021.

The industrial estate was established in 1988 on 15.70 acres of land alongside the Jhenaidah-Dhaka highway in Dhanharia village, according to BSCIC officials.

With all 101 plots in the BSCIC estate already allocated for various industries, just five units in the area are currently inoperative as their owners will soon be changed.

Total investments in the industrial area amount to Tk 207.67 lakh while some 97 per cent of the service charge levied on factories is realised each month.

There are 61 A-category plots that have an area of 4,500 square feet while the 25 B-category plots are 300 square feet. In addition, there are 14 C-category plots that have different sizes.

During a recent visit to the BSCIC area, this correspondent found that most businesses inside the complex have been passing a good time as of late.

However, plot owners said they would feel more secured if there were protective entry and exit gates at the estate while a canal that runs through it should be renovated.

Businesses in the BSCIC area provide a number of valuable services and products in the region and beyond.

Md Hasanuzzaman, senior executive of Metal, said they import agro-machinery from India and sell it to farmers in Bangladesh.

"We are doing good business," he added.

Md Sahabuddin, manager of Serf Agro Industry, said they produce various fertilisers.

"We produce sulphur, gypsum, zinc fertilisers and all types of pesticides, which are provided to farmers in different districts across Bangladesh as well as some countries abroad," he added.

The factory employs around 100 workers.

Md Abdul Mozid, manager of Smart Cables Industry, said they have been operating in the industrial estate for 12 years now.

"We produce cables and market them in different districts of the country. Now, we are heading towards good profit," he told The Daily Star.

Ashaduzzaman, director of Zaman Jute Diversify, said they produce jute thread and export it to countries in the EU.

The company has three units in the BSCIC area that employ 1,000 people in total.

"We also collect jute from different markets to make sacks and cloths," he added.

Selina Rahman, deputy manager of the Jhenaidah BSCIC, said these industries were hit by multiple crises amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Some 10-12 influential people had taken plots but and they did not run any business. Exercising their authority, they kept the plot in vain," she added.

Rahman went on to say that she had submitted an estimate for constructing two gates, but the authority has only agreed to set up one.

"The rest will be constructed by turns," she said.

Rahman then informed that an issue with the area's drainage system has already been dealt with while undisturbed electricity and water supply are being provided smoothly.