Industrialisation at Rangpur halted by lack of gas supply

Lack of natural gas supply through pipeline has halted setting up of industries in Rangpur, despite huge potentialities in the region.

Many of the entrepreneurs and businessmen are interested to set up small and large scale industries here but they cannot set up the industry due to absence of gas supply.

Pipeline gas supply has been a longstanding demand of the people in the region.

Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) Industrial zone at Rangpur could not set up new units of small industries and factories.

Some 26 small industrial units were built up in 83 plots in the zone. The profitable units include tube well factory, cold storage, aluminum factory, spare parts factory of fire hydrant, milk processing unit, PVC pipe factory, and flour mills run by the power supply. About three thousand workers are engaged in the units.

Some more potential small industries and factories could be set up there, such as offset printing press, stone crushing factory, Sodium scilicet, surgical gauge and bandage, electric goods, plastic products, automatic servicing, and repairing, spare parts factory for cycle and rickshaws, said BSCIC sources.

Rangpur Foundry Limited [RFL] tube well company in the BSCIC zone has been manufacturing about 1000 tube-wells every day in which 300 hundred workers are doing work.

The company’s Manager Osman Faruq said the production cost is quite high here as the factory is power run. The cost of the product would be half if the division came under the pipeline gas supply network.

“The labour cost in the unit is very cheap compared to other parts of the country. But we are failing to take full advantage of the zone due to lack of gas supply,” he noted.

Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu, FBCCI vice president and former president of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said, industrialisation is the easy solution to alleviate poverty and to create massive job generation in the region.

Absence of pipeline gas supply in the region hinders the growth, he added.

Small and heavy industries cannot not be set up at UTTRA EPZ in Nilphamari district for want of gas supply, he noted.

Former senior scientist - cropping system agronomy and administrator of Cereal System Initiative for South Asia [CSISA], BD Rangpur Hub, Dr M A Mazid, said a major portion of the total population in the region are involved in agriculture. The region is considered a surplus food production-prone area of the country. Vegetables are being cultivated on a massive scale round the year in the district and sold across the country.

Potato is being hugely cultivated in the region. Moreover, a local variety of mango [Harivhnaga,] and banana are being produced and exported elsewhere of the country and even abroad. So, the SME sector and mid-level industries can be promoted easily by setting up agro-based industries in the region which can create massive job opportunities for the vulnerable people. Food and Potato processing zone and potato chips and French fry factories can be built in the region to boost up trade and farming, he noted.

Faqrul Islam Benju Zone, Rangpur city president of SUJJON, said the cost of living and price of lands inside the divisional headquarter has been increased double. But the socio-economic and infrastructural developments were not made accordingly.

There is no alternative to Industrialization for job creation here. He demanded to set up an economical zone in Rangpur bringing the region under pipeline gas supply.

Rangpur Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Rejaul Islam Milon said, heavy industries cannot not be set up due to the absence of pipeline gas supply in the region.

There were four land ports with our neighboring country India in the region. International trade and business will be increased through the land ports and the government will have the opportunity of earning huge revenues.