In Barisal, what are the major industrial factories? In answer to this question, two names can be called local residents. An opsonite drug factory, the other is Khan Sons' cement mill. Those who are looking for a little more, they can mention the export-oriented shoe factories of BSCIC industrial town's Fortune Shuja.
Outside of this there is notable large art in Barisal. Local businessmen say Barisal is more backward than other departments in terms of industry. There is no gas in Barisal The power deficit is strong. Despite the entrepreneurship, cheap labor and land, the district did not invest in the industry.
Local people complained, the government has never looked at building industries in Barisal division. Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in different districts of the country. There are new economic zones, but nothing is happening in Barisal. Even Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) industrial town in Barisal is neglected.
Due to lack of art, the youth of Barisal have to go to other districts in search of work. Local people say that if the trend of people in the district is successful, then send them to Dhaka, Chittagong or any other city to look for work.
However, in future, when the Paira port is fully operational in Patuakhali and the construction of the Padma bridge ends, the businessmen of the district are hoping to establish an industrial factory in Barisal. Asked, Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) president Saidur Rahman said, when the pigeon harbor starts, the raw material of the products will be easy in this region. When the construction of the Padma bridge is completed, the problem of sending the goods to other parts of the country will be overcome in Barisal. This will increase investment in Barisal.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) 2013 census, there are 45,735 productive economic units in Barisal division, which is the lowest among the rest of the divisions except Sylhet. But due to the gas in Sylhet division, there are many big industries. Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEJA) has established economic zones there.
According to information from Barisal District Office of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), there are 15 major and medium industries in the district. There are 1,955 small industries. The cottage industry has 9,719 units.
Fortune Shuja proved that export-oriented industrial factories can be run in Barisal. About 1.5 thousand workers are working in this factory established in BSCIC industrial town of Barisal in 2012. The manufacture of shoes is made in different countries of Europe. Recently, in the factory of Fortune Shuja and talking to the officials, the raw material of this factory is imported with the port of Chittagong. Again, shoes went to Europe through the port of Chittagong. They originally created various brand sportswear. The officials of Fortune said that when the pigeon harness starts, they will take less time to import and export their raw materials.
BSCIC Plots are empty
The work of establishing BSCIC industrial town in Barisal started in 1961. The number of plots in the industrial town of about 131 acres is 446. BSCIC has been able to allocate 378 plots. The number of industrial units in the allocated plot is 173, out of which 72 are in production. According to BSCIC data, 82 industrial units are under implementation.
In BSCIC industrial zone, many plots are still empty. In many, the old industries are closed. Road condition is very bad.
Babul Hossain has made a factory called Shawon PVC Pip to invest Tk 3 crore in industrial city. BSCIC office is seen with him. Asked about this, the entrepreneur said that the load-shedding of electricity has created a huge problem for them. Once the electricity goes out, he has a loss of 5 thousand rupees. The semi-finished products that are in production stage are wasted. He said the road situation is so bad that motorcycles can not be visited by his factory.
Babul Hossain was talking about his inconvenience, while the sound of the transformer disintegrated in the sound of the word went away. BSCIC officials said that there was a separate line or feeder for the industrial town, it was not.
BSCIC Deputy Managing Director Sheikh Rafiqul Haque said the government has allocated Tk 52 million this year. With this money, a separate feeder will be provided for roads and electricity.
'Want gas'
Local businessman SM Zakir Hossain doing a liquefied petroleum gas bottling factory in Barisal. He said that the district towns around Barisal did not get much improvement. As a result, this region's market is also small. But economic activity is increasing now. Barisal will be the center of economic activity in the future in the southern region. Demanding to arrange gas for this, she said, there are more than 100 traders in Barisal, who have invested more than Tk 100 crore in different places including Dhaka. They will invest in Barisal if gas comes here.
Bhola may be the source of gas supply in Barisal Distance from Barisal to Bhola is 30 kilometers. But Barisal traders said that Bhola politicians do not want to give gas there in Barisal.
BCCI president Saidur Rahman said, "Bhola has got plenty of gas. From there, it will be invested in this region if it is brought to Barisal. We want the Prime Minister in this regard. ' He said, if electricity is produced in Bhola, then it is given in other districts, why not the gas?