Bangladesh Economic & Infrastructure Development - Updates & Discussions

[Bilal9]

Bangladesh is the world's third-largest exporter of Pedal Bikes, after Taiwan and Cambodia. But those times are now past when Bangladesh assembled and exported bike from imported components, as level of local inputs and value addition have increased tremendously compared to even recent times, as the video shows. Bike exports from China have reduced in volume, due to increased input cost and labor cost, so many Chinese firms are also relocating factories here. Many Taiwanese firms were already exporting manufactured bikes from local shores (Special zones) for two decades now.

Bangladesh-exported bikes sell in Europe in many price points from under a hundred Euros to over twelve hundred Euros in some cases. The higher end bikes are sold under reputed brands, which are manufactured under OEM specs as dictated by buyers. Sorry Bengali only.

 

[Destranator]

Our bicycle exporters should do something to weed out Indian and Chinese bikes from the local market. I understand Bd is a price sensitive market due to income while we mainly produce high end bikes but we should be able to come up with some compromise between price and quality.

 

[Bilal9]

Our bicycle exporters should do something to weed out Indian and Chinese bikes from the local market. I understand Bd is a price sensitive market due to income while we mainly produce high end bikes but we should be able to come up with some compromise between price and quality.

This will take time. Bike parts made in China and India are cheaper because of economies of scale. As local market (mainly for low income folks and for middle class kids etc.) is price-driven, the local market bike products are made using assembly of cheaper components (such as cranksets, chains, brake parts, handlebars, forks) from those countries. Economies of scale is always a bane for smaller countries, until production reaches a certain high level. That said, local market is also quite large, and should be able to produce bike components at just as low a price point (or lower) provided govt. provides duty support, which it did for the cellphone industry ( Et voilà! there's your vive la différence).

 

[Bilal9]

BMTF (as a Bangladesh Army subsidiary) continues on self-sufficient production of various military-use commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses (from CKD instead of SKD kits nowadays, including recent addition of heat/weight abuse torture-testing unit), and various other items I did not even know about, such as Footwear and boots for armed forces, upholstery and fittings for produced vehicles, embossed number plates for local BRTA-issued DMV use, design/production of various types of furniture for armed forces, electronic items for DESA including transmitters, CFL bulbs, RCC poles for electrical transmission uses etc.

These are the vehicles assembled from CKD kits at BMTF:

1. Arunima Bolyan 3 Ton Medium Truck (built with ToT from Isuzu Japan)
2. Toyota Model 69 1.5 ton pickup and Toyota Model 80 1 ton land cruiser utility vehicle.
3. Nissan UT - 32 Seat Crew Transport AC Bus.
4. Daewoo Express - 52 Seat Troops Transport Bus
5. Mitsubishi Rosa - 32/40 Seat Troops Transport Bus / Prison Van
6. Mitsubishi Triton Pickup Police Van
7. Ashok LeyLand - 6 Ton Medium Truck (India) - [User - BTRC, Border Guard Bangladesh]
8. JMC - 1.5 Ton and 3.5 Ton Pickup Trucks (China) - [Commercial Purpose Addition and Supply]
9. Sino 3 Ton and 5 Ton Trucks (China) - [Commercial Purpose Addition and Supply]

 

[Bilal9]

Dhakai Muslin set to get GI certification
Staff Correspondent | Published: 22:45, Dec 31,2020

Dhakai Muslin, one of the extinct finest hand woven cotton fabrics of middle ages, is set to get geographical indication certificate as the government is trying to revive the old glory of the famous fabric.

Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks of the industries ministry has already sent a journal to the government press for publication as a prerequisite by the law before issuing the GI certificate.

DPDT deputy registrar Md Azim Uddin on Thursday told New Age that they might get the journal in early next week and the GI certificate would be handed over after two months if none from home and abroad raised any objection on the issue.

Bangladesh Handloom Board applied for GI tag for the product, he said.

Muslin will be the fourth GI certified products after Jamdani sari, Hilsa fish and Khirsapat mango.

A GI is a name or sign used on certain products, which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin.

According to DPDT officials, the use of GI increases the value of product and it brings additional premium on price.

According to the BHB, muslin was produced from handloom and was one of the purest, simplest, most gentle and most comfortable, perfect fabrics in the world.

It is believed to have originated in Bangladesh during the middle ages, it said.

Muslin, a brand name of pre-colonial Bengal Textile, especially of Dhaka Region, was specially produced from ‘carpus fibre’ in special weather and it was perfect plain, even, thin and transparent.

During the British rule, skilled weavers of Bengal attained worldwide fame for their Muslin weaved with locally produced cotton and it was branded as the Dhakai Muslin, it said.

The finest sort of Muslin was made of ‘phuti’ cotton, which was grown in certain localities on the banks of the River Sitalakhya.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on October 2014 gave instructions to the textiles and jute ministry for taking steps to revive the muslin industry.

The ministry is now implementing a project to revive the muslin fabric.

The West Bengal Khadi and Village Industry Board also applied to the office of the Geographical Indications Registry of India for GI tag for Bengal muslin in November 18, 2019 and the application is now at the pre-examination level.

 

[Bilal9]

Dhaka rivers shoreline beautification project continues apace. Currently this concerns shorelines of BurhiGanga, Balu and Turag rivers around Dhaka. Improvements include walkways & trails along reinforced RCC pilings, childrens' play areas, amphitheaters, wide stairways, other entertainment areas etc.

Current situation is far from optimal, shorelines covered with garbage and taken over by small boats plying people across rivers in uncontrolled fashion.

BIWTA (Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority) is now controlled by a deputed Navy administrator (Commodore Ghulam Sadeque) and he is responsible for most of the changes.

 

[Bilal9]

Star Porcelain is a new venture from legacy parent company Star Ceramics. They make ultra-durable (some are stackable) porcelain ware mainly for the European restaurant (some are whiteware, others are not), hospitality and catering industry and are the first factory in Bangladesh to use the services of French tableware designers. French tableware designers are very closely aligned with their clients on the other side, highly-rated chefs in three star Michelin-rated restaurants, which are a hallmark of fine dining quality for Haute Cuisine restaurants in Europe.

 

[Bilal9]

Bangladesh Furniture Industry was always inward focused, but exports have been increasing steadily.

Local Brands are always being launched locally and one of them is "ISHO", which is sort of equivalent as a mini IKEA brand, targeted at tastes of younger adults and new families with modern designs.

https://www.facebook.com/ishobd/?tn-str=k*F

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=393823414551165

 

[SpaceMan18]

Just some Metro Rail news , heard they will delay it til June of 2022 sighs

Ngl the train cars look pretty good , but I wish the sides of the train had some LCD displays.

For ex , this is a NYC subway R160 with LCD displays on the side ( rode this train couple of times ngl it's my favorite)

 

[Bilal9]

One industry I have covered in the past, and don't do so much nowadays is the female related fashion/decor/event-planning industry in Bangladesh. This is rapidly changing the face of womens' clothing locally and other fields like event planning. Some examples (some in Bengali/English).

 

[Bilal9]

FMC Dockyard CTG launched a Multi Purpose Passenger Vessel (Large Catamaran) recently.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=836672517171817

Some of there builds from a few years ago,

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=590275764875860

Other builds in progress,

Dockyard employee lounge

Site office

 

[Bilal9]

Bangladesh Startup Ecosystem- The Untapped Digital Goldmine of Asia

Bangladesh startup ecosystem is coming of age riding on key drivers:

Strong Economy Vitals for Startups: Tech adaptable young population 62%+ under 35 years, 164 million people (8th largest in the world) with high density (1200 people/Sq Km). Middle class growing at 10% per annum to reach 34 million by 2025, 98% mobile phone connection, 62% internet penetration, 102 million+ people on the internet with 94 million mobile internet penetration. The pandemic has also accelerated the use of ICT technology, including digital commerce, education, healthcare, agriculture.

Demographic Bulge with the Right Skill-sets: The country generates 5,000+ IT graduates each year is creating a strong group of entrepreneurial waves focused on solving critical problems, including those during the pandemic. The country’s median age of 27.9 years means more young people are willing to take risks and explore innovations in the economy. With limited opportunities from STEM graduates (due to the absence of large scale industrialization except for RMG/Textile, which is still more labor-intensive than automation) – they are looking into forming ICT enabled companies and Startups. NRBs (Non-Resident Bangladeshis) are also returning, bringing in both investment capital and knowledge remittance.

Bangladesh Startup Ecosystem at an Inflection Point: The Bangladesh Entrepreneurship Ecosystem is at an inflection point with an excess of U$ 200 million in international investments from big-name corporate investors and venture capitals, investing in industries like FinTech, Logistics, and Mobility over the last four years. The emergence of active Angel Investment Networks, Impact Investing, host of local and international operating accelerators/ incubators propelled 1,000+ active Startups, generating 1.5 million+ employment – embracing products and services of Startups as part of the country’s everyday life. Additionally, B-SEC (Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission) has also approved small-cap stock exchange guidelines, which is a big step towards providing investors with Startup exits.

Government Support: The Government of Bangladesh deployed the National ICT Policy in 2009 to become Digital Bangladesh by 2021. Government policies and projects from the ICT Ministry, such as IDEA Project and Startup Bangladesh Limited with 100 crore BDT (U$ 11.5 Million) funds, are taken to improve the local startup ecosystem. Additionally, GoB is setting up 28+ Hi-Tech Parks, including infrastructure support like data centers, to support technology companies.

COVID-19 Impact: Since March 2020, the country and all its businesses and startups have been affected drastically by the COVID-19 disruption. 24% of companies reported to have stopped operations, with 56% of startups seen at least a 50% drop on revenue generation. 60% of Startups have runway less than three months threatening 1.5 million employment and an annual loss of over U$ 53 Million in 2020. The disruption, however, is also propelling accelerated adoption of digital services with Digital Financial Services, Logistics, and Grocery on-demand, EdTech, HealthTech seeing steep growth.

 

[SpaceMan18]

Bangladesh Startup Ecosystem- The Untapped Digital Goldmine of Asia

Bangladesh startup ecosystem is coming of age riding on key drivers:

Strong Economy Vitals for Startups: Tech adaptable young population 62%+ under 35 years, 164 million people (8th largest in the world) with high density (1200 people/Sq Km). Middle class growing at 10% per annum to reach 34 million by 2025, 98% mobile phone connection, 62% internet penetration, 102 million+ people on the internet with 94 million mobile internet penetration. The pandemic has also accelerated the use of ICT technology, including digital commerce, education, healthcare, agriculture.

Demographic Bulge with the Right Skill-sets: The country generates 5,000+ IT graduates each year is creating a strong group of entrepreneurial waves focused on solving critical problems, including those during the pandemic. The country’s median age of 27.9 years means more young people are willing to take risks and explore innovations in the economy. With limited opportunities from STEM graduates (due to the absence of large scale industrialization except for RMG/Textile, which is still more labor-intensive than automation) – they are looking into forming ICT enabled companies and Startups. NRBs (Non-Resident Bangladeshis) are also returning, bringing in both investment capital and knowledge remittance.

Bangladesh Startup Ecosystem at an Inflection Point: The Bangladesh Entrepreneurship Ecosystem is at an inflection point with an excess of U$ 200 million in international investments from big-name corporate investors and venture capitals, investing in industries like FinTech, Logistics, and Mobility over the last four years. The emergence of active Angel Investment Networks, Impact Investing, host of local and international operating accelerators/ incubators propelled 1,000+ active Startups, generating 1.5 million+ employment – embracing products and services of Startups as part of the country’s everyday life. Additionally, B-SEC (Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission) has also approved small-cap stock exchange guidelines, which is a big step towards providing investors with Startup exits.

Government Support: The Government of Bangladesh deployed the National ICT Policy in 2009 to become Digital Bangladesh by 2021. Government policies and projects from the ICT Ministry, such as IDEA Project and Startup Bangladesh Limited with 100 crore BDT (U$ 11.5 Million) funds, are taken to improve the local startup ecosystem. Additionally, GoB is setting up 28+ Hi-Tech Parks, including infrastructure support like data centers, to support technology companies.

COVID-19 Impact: Since March 2020, the country and all its businesses and startups have been affected drastically by the COVID-19 disruption. 24% of companies reported to have stopped operations, with 56% of startups seen at least a 50% drop on revenue generation. 60% of Startups have runway less than three months threatening 1.5 million employment and an annual loss of over U$ 53 Million in 2020. The disruption, however, is also propelling accelerated adoption of digital services with Digital Financial Services, Logistics, and Grocery on-demand, EdTech, HealthTech seeing steep growth.

This is great but one issue , Bangladesh needs wayyy better infrastructure to be able to support any new ideas that will come it's way. Amazon was able to succeed cause of American infrastructure and it eventually grew to become major.

 

[mb444]

Local speculators snap up industrial land before the planning for industry even starts.

For example I can tell you that my extended family members own ancestral land in the Savar area, those parcels have skyrocketed ever since they started industrializing that area initially a decade ago.

More recently this has happened near Payra and Matarbari port areas where EPZs/SEZs are planned.

Pricing varies per location and demand. I am not in touch with this, you have to contact someone in Dhaka.

In dhaka proper the cost of a khata of land (about 720 sq feet) would start from 30 lakh or 3 million taka upwards for the very cheapest, anywhere reasonable around 8m per khata and upscale areas around 100m per khata...

Surroundings dhaka will start at 2 million taka upwards.

Cheapest land in BD anywhere in BD would be about 1 million per khata minimum.

I

 

[Bilal9]

Govt. mulling over raising the CC displacement limit of motorcycles from existing 165 cc to possibly 250cc or more. after IFAD Autos proposes assembly of Royal Enfield and other larger engine Bikes locally. Most proponents say the displacement limits should be abolished altogether. Existing investors who invested in smaller displacement motorbike assembly want some time to adjust.