Pran-RFL to invest Tk 680cr in industrial estate

Pran-RFL Group, a leading food processor and conglomerate in Bangladesh focusing on household products, is going to invest Tk 680 crore in the next one year to expand the capacity of its Habiganj Industrial Park and meet growing demand of consumers.

The group has invested Tk 6,300 crore in the industrial estate since its opening in 2010.

The estate at Shayestaganj in Habiganj sits on 300 acres of land and would be expanded using some 200 acres of land adjoining it.

The capacity enhancement will be for poultry, bakery, noodles, glassware, recycled products, fittings, switches and sockets, stationery, cables, bicycles and pipes.

One of the most diverse range of products are manufactured at the estate and it is one of the largest private industrial parks in the country in terms of size, said Kamruzzaman Kamal, the group's director for marketing.

He was addressing a views-exchange meeting with members of Economic Reporters' Forum at the estate yesterday.

The estate has 47 production lines for fruit drinks, beverages, candy, liquid glucose, biscuit, confectionery, transformers, electric cables, fans, melamine, bicycles, MS and GI pipes, recycled products, cassava processing and toiletries.

Many of the products once had to be imported in large quantities and have great demand worldwide, such as of global brands Coca-Cola and Gillette.

The estate also has a plastic recycling plant.

One of the group's objectives is to create employment for the masses in rural areas and it lays great emphasis on energy and socio-economic situation when setting up any factory or industrial park, added Kamal.

This new investment will create employment opportunities for around 3,000 people, he said.

Currently some 25,000 people are working at the estate, of which about 80 percent are locals and about 65 percent women

Moreover, a section of the local population is engaged in providing various supplies to the estate while various establishments, including markets, have developed around it, further enabling sustainable livelihoods, Kamal also said.

Around one lakh farmers are also directly supplying goods to the group, which has 300 brands and manufactures 6,300 kinds of products in 31 locations across the country.

Employing 1.45 lakh people in total, the group annually exports goods worth $400 million to 145 countries and has an annual turnover of $3 billon, added Kamal.