Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar in Mirsarai made its first major export shipment worth $12 million on Thursday through a Chinese company located in the Bepza Economic Zone of the industrial area.
The company, Kiaxi Lingerie, exported 180,000 pieces of lingerie in the shipment to Spain.
Kiaxi authorities said the shipment had already left the factory and was transported to the container depot from where it will be sent to Spain through the Chattogram port.
Jaman Ullah, the human resource officer at Kiaxi Lingerie, told, “Our first export shipment was delivered from the factory today (Thursday). The Spanish buyer has ordered a total of 136 million pieces of lingerie, so we will supply the remaining orders in phases.”
He further said, “Our factory has the capacity to employ 4,000 workers. However, due to a lack of housing facilities in the industrial area, finding workers has been challenging. So far, we have managed to hire only 1,000 workers, which mean we are operating at just 25% of our production capacity.”
The Chinese company has invested $60.85 million in setting up three factories in the Bepza Economic Zone. The first unit, spanning 100,000 square feet, started production earlier this year.
According to Kiaxi Lingerie authorities, construction of the other two units, each covering 100,000 square feet, was scheduled to start this month, but the company has temporarily halted the expansion due to labour and other logistical challenges.
According to Bepza data, other Chinese companies like Fengqun Composite Material Co (BD) Ltd and KPST Shoes (BD) Co Ltd are also operating in the economic zone.
Shibu Ranjan Das, director (industrial and commercial) of Bepza Economic Zone, said, “Since last November, factories in the Bepza Economic Zone have started exporting. So far, goods worth $1 million have been exported from these factories.”
The Bepza Economic Zone, which is anticipated to attract approximately $2.70 billion in foreign direct investments (FDI) once fully operational, has been established on 1,138.55 acres of land in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar, with 539 industrial plots.
Bepza officials said more than 100 companies have applied for industrial plot allocations within the zone. Currently, 23 companies have been granted plots, while the remaining applications are under review.
These companies are expected to contribute to the production of a wide range of goods, including shoe accessories, packaging materials, finished lubricants, camping equipment, outdoor products, cashew nut processing, tents, apparel, garments accessories, and paper conversion, among others.
