The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB Dhaka

Thailand-based Chinese-Taiwanese company is keen to invest US$ 30 million in Bangladesh's ceramic sector.

According to official sources, a high-profile delegation of the company, Chengtech Chinaware (Thailand) co. Ltd, arrived here yesterday on a four-day visit to discuss the investment with the government.

Managing Director of Chengtech Chainaware Co. Ltd., (Taiwan) China, J.H. Hsu Team is leading the team, which is scheduled to meet the Executive Chairman of the Board of Investment (BoI), Chairman of the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) and the Chairman of the Privatisation Commission.

The team will also visit various sites across the country to explore their investment options.

In its communiqué to the Ministry of Industries, the Chengtech Chinaware said that the delegation has planned to visit here "to survey the initial investment, manufacturing, logistics and export environment of Bangladesh".

It further noted that the company has informally conducted a number of survey trips in the past when it found there was a huge potential for investment in the country.

"We believe Bangladesh can be a future ceramic manufacturing base … it could be a ceramic centre of the region," the company said in the letter.

"From our survey we believe that there are sources of raw materials for ceramic in northern Bangladesh," it said.

Regarding the energy resources, the company observed, Bangladesh is a country with a large natural gas reserve.

However, local high quality coal can be another source if natural gas is unavailable, it said.

It said the company has a plan to set up a ceramic industrial zone where investors from China, Taiwan and Thailand could initially invest US$ 30 million.

Some 50,000 people will get jobs if the plan gets through, the company said.