Industry and resources of Panchagarh

Industry and resources

Industry: Tea, Sugar, Rice mill, ice factory, garments factory, oil mill, and Saw mill.

Banglabandha land port is located in about 10 acres (40,000 m2) of acquired land at the north-western tip of Bangladesh in Tetulia under Panchagarh district on the Bangladesh-India highway.The port is situated 60 km from Panchagarh Town. The place is of international character and used for Nepal transit traffic passing through a small corridor of India. It is about 22 meter away from the Bangladesh-Indian borderline.

The growing tea sector in Panchagarh has ushered in a new hope for further enhancing the standard of socio-economic life and women empowerment, they said. The female workers are yet to get their just wages from the garden-owners as the growing tea-farming sector in the region has been facing manifold problems including present unfair prices of the tea leaves for the tea farmers. Presently, over 7,000 skilled and unskilled workers, mostly women, have been working in 246 tea gardens, including 18 big estates, 13 medium-size and 215 small-scale gardens set up on more than 1,815 acres (7.35 km2) of land in Tetulia and its surrounding areas, they said. Of them nearly 2,300 workers, mostly women, are working alone at the giant Kazi and Kazi Tea Estate (KKTE) at Tetulia which has earned reputation in both national and international markets by producing, processing and marketing the famous and most popular Kazi & Kazi Organic Tea and earning foreign exchange.

Industry for manufacturing SPC electric poles, established a plant (Gemcon Ltd.) over a land of 35 Acres in Panchagarh District, here all the products in the plant are manufactured by using indigenous raw materials. The factory has created direct or indirect job opportunity for more than 1500 people and helping the nation in poverty alleviation.

Gem Jute Limited was established in Panchagarh in 2003, with the corporate vision is to improve the livelihood of the local population by providing employment and advancement opportunities, stimulate the local economy through direct and indirect economic activities. Gem Jute promotes sustainable development and support the environment by providing high-quality, organic, biodegradable products to the world market.Over 5000 people are working at Gem Jute Limited.

Under Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC), Panchagarh Sugar Mills Ltd. is the oldest industry of the district. Panchagarh Sugar Mills was set up by the Government in 1965-69 at a cost of Tk.55.55 million. It is near the district headquarters of Panchagarh and is the northernmost sugar mill in Bangladesh. Machinery and equipment of the sugar mill were supplied by M/S. Stork Werkspoor of Holland. The sugar mill started its trial production in 1969-70. Since independence of Bangladesh (until 2005), the sugar mill has produced 8,536 m. tons of Sugar per annum on average at an average sugar recovery rate of 8.10% from sugarcane.