25 lakh masks sold daily
One and a half years ago, the demand for surgical masks in Bangladesh was met through imports. But the deadly coronavirus pandemic has pushed the local companies to build capacity to produce the essential item locally as the country struggles to tame the contagion.
Now, around 25 lakh pieces of surgical masks are sold daily, manufacturers say.
There is no reliable data about the market size of face masks in Bangladesh. Industry people say the market size might have reached Tk 400 crore as demand has surged manifolds since the start of the pandemic due to the spike in caseloads.
Before the outbreak of Covid-19, the use of surgical masks was limited to hospitals, pharmaceutical factories and a few individuals.
The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) has provided no-objection certificates to 35 local companies to manufacture surgical masks as of July 23, said Md Ayub Hossain, a director of the state-run medicine regulator.
"Local companies can now meet the entire local demand of masks."
Md Abdur Razzak, managing director of JMI Group, said the company had received permission to manufacture surgical and KN95 face masks.
According to him, local companies make quality surgical masks and cater to 100 per cent of the demand.
JMI Group can produce 1.5 lakh pieces of surgical masks a day.
The cost of manufacturing masks has fallen sharply from around Tk 22 apiece after the government waived the import duty of the raw materials used to make the product as demand skyrocketed following the outbreak.
The production cost hovers around Tk 4 per piece, say several manufacturers.
But JMI's Razzak says the masks produced by his company cost Tk 8 apiece as it uses a high-end filter material, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), in its products to make them more effective.
Kamruzzaman Kamal, director for marketing of Pran-RFL Group, said the use of masks was not that much before the pandemic.
"It was mostly used at hospitals or factories. The demand has gone up after the outbreak of coronavirus," he said.
According to him, the market size of masks in Bangladesh is around Tk 400 crore.
"Almost all of it is being supplied by local companies. Before Covid-19, we had relied on imports."
Gatewell Ltd, Beximco, Square, Bashundhara, and Minister Group are among the companies that produce masks.
Gatewell started manufacturing surgical masks in 2015 at its own factory in the Habiganj Industrial Park.
Before the virus hit Bangladesh, Gatewell had the capacity to produce 15,000 pieces of masks a day. Now the production capacity has gone up to four lakh pieces per day.
The company has introduced surgical masks for children as well. The maximum retail price of a 50-piece packet is Tk 350.
The maximum retail price of a packet of surgical masks is Tk 400.
Gatewell surgical mask is available all over the country through authorised dealers and at pharmacies and super shops.
KMG Kibria, head of brand and communication of Minister Group, says the company produces 50,000 surgical masks daily against the capacity of one lakh pieces under the brand name Minister Safe Life Mask.
Local producers import raw materials used in mask manufacturing from China, Korea and Taiwan, he said, thanking the National Board of Revenue for waving the import duty.
Bashundhara Group produces one lakh pieces of face masks per day.
Md Mustafizur Rahman, deputy managing director of the group, said local companies manufactured quality surgical masks. However, substandard masks were also available in the market.
He demanded the drug administration beef up monitoring to stop the sales of low-quality masks.
According to Rahman, face coverings worth more than Tk 1 crore are sold across the country every day.
The owner of a popular medicine store in Jamalpur says he has never sold a mask before the pandemic.
"When the virus arrived, the demand shot up. We used to retail 100 pieces of masks a day at that time. Now, I sell 20 masks every day," he said.
The drug store sells non-branded masks at Tk 5 apiece and branded masks at Tk 10.
The 40-year-old says no representatives would try to sell masks to them before March last year.
"Now, there are several reputed pharmaceutical companies and several dozens of little-known firms whose representatives approach them regularly to make orders for masks."
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