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Bangladesh
and Industrial Sector
Industry
Bangladesh
will have within a decade a
sizable industrial sector
where manufacturing will
account for at least 25 per
cent of the GDP and at least
20 per cent of the employed
workforce. This will mean a
considerable rise from the
figure of 10 per cent around
which the sector's share in
GDP and employed population
have hovered for most of the
past two decades.
A
vibrant and dynamic private
sector will be the principal
actor in
Bangladesh
's industrial arena. The
industrial sector of
Bangladesh
will be competitive in the
liberalized internal market
as well as in the external
market. The industrial
sector of
Bangladesh
shall have a dominant export
orientation.
The
goal of external
competitiveness implies the
pursuit of industrialization
in accordance with the
dynamic comparative
advantage of the economy.
Given
Bangladesh
's resource endowment, the
principle of dynamic
comparative advantage means
production of labor
intensive manufactures with
skill up-gradation and
productivity growth as its
cutting edge. This however,
does not preclude the
possibility of
Bangladesh
having a niche high-tech
industrial sub-sector that
may be externally
competitive.
Dispersal
of small and medium
industries will constitute
an important element in the
industrial policy approach.
Industrial development will
be sustainable from the
point of view of
environmental concerns and
resource availability.
Industrial
Policy 1999 aims at
addressing these concerns
building on earlier efforts
and gains towards
industrialization of
Bangladesh
economy.
INFRASTRUCTURAL
FACILITIES AND UTILITY
SERVICES IN
BANGLADESH
GENERAL:
The investors will, in
general, find the
infrastructural facilities
and utility services
available in
Bangladesh
to be adequate.
Bangladesh
is now trying to establish
itself as the next rising
star in
South Asia
as a location for foreign
investment. The government
has implemented a number of
policy reforms designed to
create a more open and
competitive climate for
private investment, both
foreign and domestic. The
issues relating to
infrastructural facilities
and utility services have
been given high priorities
in those policy reforms and
implementations.
COMMUNICATION:
The transport sector of
Bangladesh
consists of a variety of
modes. The country being a
flat plain, all three modes
of surface transport i.e.
road, railway, and water are
widely used in carrying both
passengers and cargo.
More
than half of
Bangladesh
has access to an all-weather
hard surface road within
three miles distance. There
has been a dramatic
expansion of road network in
recent years. In 1997, the
total length of paved road
under the Roads and Highways
Department stood at more
than 20,000 kilometers. It
is increasing over time. It
is estimated that mechanized
road transport carry about
70% of the country's total
passenger and cargo volume.
Ports and important business
centers are well connected
by roads and highways.
In
recent years, construction
of a number of bridges such
as the
Bangabandhu
Jamuna
Bridge
,
Meghna
Bridge
,
Meghna-Gumti Bridge
,
Bangladesh
-
China
Friendship
Bridge
,
Shambhuganj
Bridge
and
Mahananda
Bridge
have been completed. The 4.8
kilometer long
Bangabandhu
Bridge
which has been opened to
traffic in June, 1998, is
the eleventh longest in the
world. It has established a
strategic link between the
East and West of Bangladesh,
has integrated the country,
is generating multifaceted
benefits to the people and
promoting inter-regional
trade. Apart from quick
movement of goods and
passenger traffic, it is
facilitating transmission of
electricity and natural gas
and has integrated the
telecommunication link.
About
32% of the total area of
Bangladesh
is effectively covered by
the railways. It connects
all the administrative and
business points of the
country. Railway container
service from
Chittagong
port to
Dhaka
are available.
About
two-thirds of
Bangladesh
is a wetland laced with a
dense network of rivers,
canals and creeks. The
navigable waterways vary
between 8372 kilometer
during the monsoon to 5200
kilometer during the dry
season. Bangladesh Inland
Water Transport Authority
has been established by the
government for maintenance
of navigability of ports and
channels.
The
entire coast along the
Bay of Bengal
is 710 Kilometer long. There
are two major ports in the
country.
Chittagong
Port
, the oldest port, has been
an entry point for at least
1000 years. The
Mongla
Port
in Khula region serves the
western part of
Bangladesh
. World’s reputed shipping
lines are operating through
these two ports.
There
are now 11 operational
airports in
Bangladesh
. Of these, the airports at
Dhaka,
Chittagong
, and Sylhet serve
international routes.
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