Bangladesh has made a remarkable progress in multiple sector of social, political,

cultural and economic emancipation of the mass. Number of steps has also been taken
to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDl) and facilitate further industrialization in order
to boost up economic development the country. Bangladesh Export Processing Zones
Authority (BEPZA) is the only government organization responsible for creation,
operation and development of Export Processing Zones (EPZ) in the country.

Attractive and competitive packages offer incentives, physical, infrastructure facilities of

Zones along with a abundance of skilled manpower at a competitive rate have placed
Bangladesh’s EPZs in a comparative advantageous position over other competing
EPZs of neighboring countries. Apart from the manufacturing sectors EPZs are now
inviting investments into infrastructure, power & utility and environment management
projects which have made the Zones truly attractive investment destination for investors
who look to the future.

Why Invest in Bangladesh EPZ?

1. law & order situation 

2. infrastructure facilities
3. reduction of lead time
4. cost of doing business
5. friendly policy of govt.
6. incentives
7. win – win ventures
8. success story
9. signatory of miga (multilateral investment guarantee agency)
10. signatory of icsid (international centre for settlement of investment dispute)
11. member of wipo (world intellectual property organization)
12. member of opic (overseas private investment corporation)
13. asia's low cost production base

EPZ INVESTMENT (up to march 2011)

MILLION US$
CHITTAGONG 811.03
DHAKA 750.37
MONGLA 2.66
 COMILLA 127.48
UTTARA 11.86
ISHWARDI 32.51
ADAMJEE -

EPZ EMPLOYMENT (UP TO MARCH 2011)

NOS.
CHITTAGONG 163104
DHAKA 80734
MONGLA 279
COMILLA 9711
UTTARA 4242
ISHWARDI 4750
ADAMJEE 14995
KARNAPHULI 17423

EPZ EXPORT (UP TO MARCH 2011)

MILLION US$
CHITTAGONG 12673.86
DHAKA 10536.50
MONGLA 67.16
COMILLA 522.74
UTTARA 6.57
ISHWARDI 30.47
ADAMJEE 300.86
KARNAPHULI 194.12

Brand Products made in Bangladesh EPZs

NIKE, REEBOK, LAFUMA, H & M (SWEDEN),GAP, BROUKS, J.C. PENNY, WALMART, KMART,
OSPIG (GERMANY), MOTHER CARE (UK), LEE, WRANGLER, DOCKERS, NBA, TOMMY HILFIGER, 
ADIDAS, FALCON(USA), EDIE BAUYER, EAGLE, RELEIGH (UK), EMMILEE, FREE SPIRIL (UK),
MILES (GERMANY), AMERICAN EAGLE, HI-TECH (UK), PHILLIP-MAURICE (UK), WINS MORE,
DECATHLON.
 
LL CAMERA LENS  
(IO PARTS)                                  KONIKA, MINOLTA,
  NIKON, FUJI, OLYMPUS.
 
GOLF SHAFTS                              ABU GARCIA
MOBILE PARTS                            SONY 
AUTOMOBILE PARTS                    NISSAN, MITSUBISHI, HINO.

Incentives & Facilities

Fiscal Incentives
1.      10 years tax holiday
2.      Duty free import of construction materials
3.      Duty free import of machineries, office equipment & spare parts etc.
4.      Duty free import and export of raw materials and finished goods
5.      Relief from double taxation
6.      Exemption from divident tax
7.      GSP facility available
8.    Accelerated depreciation on machinery or plant allowed
9.    Remittance of royalty, technical and consultancy fees allowed
10.    Duty & quota free access to EU, Canada, Norway, Australia etc.
 
Non – Fiscal Incentives
          
1.      100% foreign ownership permissible
2.      Enjoy MFN (most favored nation) status
3.      No ceiling on foreign and local investment
4.      Full repatriation of capital & dividend
5.      Foreign Currency loan from abroad under direct automatic route
6.      Non-resident Foreign Currency Deposit (NFCD) Account permitted
7.      Operation of FC account by 'B' and 'C' type Industries allowed.

Facilities
1.      No UD, IRC, ERC and renewal of Bond license
2.      Work permits issued by BEPZA
3.      Secured and protected bonded area
4.      Off-Shore banking available
5.      Import on Documentary Acceptance (DA) basic allowed
6.      Bank of Back L/C
7.      Import and Export on CM basis allowed
8.      Import from DTA (Domestic Tariff Area)
9.    10% sale to DTA (Domestic Tariff Area)
10.    Customs clearance at factory site
11.    Simplified sanction procedure
12.    Sub-contracting with export oriented Industries inside and outside EPZ allowed
13.    Relocation of foreign industries allowed
14.    Accords Residentship and Cityzenship
15.    One Window same day service and simplified procedure.

Infrastructure & Support Services

Infrastructure

Basic Infrastructure : Electricity, Water, &Gas

Fully serviced plots available
Factory building available on rental basis
 Enclave for workers Dormitory & Day Care Centre
warehouse / Godown available

Support Services
 
Business : Bank, Courier, Post office, C&F Agent, Shipping Agent, MTO etc.
Administrative : Customs Office, Police Station, In-house Security, Fire Station,
Public Transport, Medical Centre etc.
Others : Restaurant, Health Club, Investors Club, Recreation Centre, School and
College, Sports Complex, Exclusive Telephone Exchange, Electricity Sub Station,
Business Centre, Anglers Club etc.
Indicative List of Industries

 
 Textile
 Agro-based Industries
 Chemicals
 Backward and forward linkage Industries
 Electrical Equipment and Components
 Electronic Products
 Software
 Optical Goods
 Garments and Garments Accessories
 Woven and Knitted Fabrics
 Engineering Products
 Leather Products and Foot-Wear
 Toys
 Medical and Biological Instruments
 Pharmaceutical Products
 Plastic Moulded products
 Industries based on new uses of Jute
 Cutting/Polishing of Precious and Semi
 Precious stones
 Household Fittings and Equipment
 Head-Wear
 Jewellery
 Horological Instruments
 Scientific Measuring Instruments
 Aircraft Instruments
 Laboratory Ware
 Printing and Publishing
 Printing and Copying Equipment & Accessories
 Do-it-yourself Tools and Equipment
 Musical instruments
 BANGLADESH STANDARDS AND TESTING INSTITUTION (BSTI)
.    Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), the only National Standards body of  Bangladesh, is
playing an   important role in developing and Promoting industrial   Standardization.

                                      

         Keeping in view that Standardization, metrology, testing and quality control in the industrial           spheres are
the basic pre-requisite of the infrastructure necessary for sound economic             development of the country, the
Government of Bangladesh has established the  Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) with the
merger of Bangladesh   Standards  Institution and the Central Testing Laboratories in 1985 through promulgating
“The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution Ordinance, 1985(Ordinance XXXVII of  1985)”.
 The BSTI is a body corporate and its administrative Ministry is the Ministry of Industries.
.   The Institution so formed has become member of the International Organization  for standardization(ISO) in
1974.  At present, BSTI is the Member/Affiliate Member/  Contact  Point/ Nodal Point of  the following
International/Regional Organizations:
 
       International Organization for Legal Metrology (OIML)
       Codex  Alimentarius Commission (CAC) of FAO/WHO
       International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
       Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP)
       Asian Forum for Information Technology (AFIT)
                               ISO Information Network (ISO NET)
                Standing Group for Standardization, Metrology, Testing and Quality

    Laws Governing BSTI

  a.     The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution Ordinance,  1985 (Ordinance No.

           XXXVII of 1985).

  b.     The Standards of weights and Measures Ordinance, 1982 (Ordinance No. XII of

          1982).

  c.     The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (Amendment) Ordinance, 1988

           (Ordinance No.  XI of 1988).

d.       The Standards of weights and Measures(Amendment) Act, 2001
e.        The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution Employee Service Rules, 1989.
f.         The standards of weights and Measures Rules, 1982 (as Amended, 2006)

  g.     The Bangladesh Standards of Weights and Measures (Packaged commodities)  Rules,

           2007
 Functions: 
Functions: The Functions of the Institutions:

........(a) To set up Bangladesh Standards of quality and dimensions and prepare and promote the
general adoption of standards on national and international basis relating to materials,
commodities, structures, practices and operations and, from time to time, to withdraw, revise,
alter and amend the same;

........(b) To consider and recommend to the Government Bangladesh Standards for the
measurement of length, weight mass, volume, and, energy;

........(c) To promote standardization, quality control, metrology and simplification in industry

and commerce;

........(d) To secure compliance with the Bangladesh Standards adopted by the Institution by the
producers and users;

........(e) To implement Bangladesh Standards through the administration of a national

certification mark scheme or inspection of goods or both;

........(f) To provide or arrange facilities for examination, testing and inspection of commodities,
processes and practices for any investigation, research or promotion of export that may be
necessary and to issue test reports;

........(g) To certify the quality of commodities, materials, produces, products and other things
including food materials, whether for local consumption, export or import;

........(h) To establish and publish, in such manner as may be prescribed, the Bangladesh Standard
Specifications in relation to any article or process or code of practice;

........(i) to recognize, adopt or endorse as a Bangladesh Standard, in such manner as may be

prescribed, any standard established by any other Institution in Bangladesh or in any foreign
country, or by international organizations in relation to any article or process;

........(j) To grant, renew, reject, suspend or cancel, in such manner as may be prescribed, a
license for the use of Standard Mark;

........(k) To utilize with the permission of the owners, the services of laboratories other than
those maintained by the Institution and approve such laboratories for the purpose of the
Institution;

........(l) To undertake execution of any trust or any agency business which it may consider
conducive to the attainment of, its objectives;
 ........(m) To co operate with any person, association, or organization, outside Bangladesh having
objectives, similar to those for which the Institution is established; and

........(n) To do all such acts and things ancillary, or incidental to any of the aforesaid, functions.

ORGANS OF THE BANGLADESH STANDARDS AND TESTING INSTITUTION:

 

The organs of BSTI are as follows:

...........1. The BSTI Council

...........2. The sectional Committees
...........3. The Director General and the staff.

..........BSTI performs its responsibilities through 6(six) wings. Each wing is headed by a
Director. The wings are as follows:

STANDARDS WING
LABORATORIES OF BSTI
CERTIFICATION MARKS WING
METROLOGY ACTIVITIES
ADMINISTRATION WING

Stages of Evolution of a Standard:

Flow Chart of Preparing the Standard
 PUBLICATION ACTIVITIES OF BSTI
The public relations work of the BSTI is carried out by the Publication Section, which deals
with the sales of publication, maintain relation with the press and media and advertising.
 
Yearbook of BSTI

BSTI publishes yearbook regularly.

EPB

 A National Export Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Commerce;

 Reorganized by the promulgation of a Presidential Ordinance in 1977 as a semi autonomous
body;
 Promote export trade and improve plan & policies helpful to the private sector.
 Administered by a Board of Management (BOM) comprising members from both public &
private sectors.
 Honourable Minister for Commerce is the ex-officio Chairman ; and
 The Vice-Chairman is the chief executive of the Export Promotion Bureau.
The Organization:

Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh under the Ministry of Commerce is a government
agency of the country, entrusted with the responsibilities of promoting export of the country. It is mainly
responsible for:

  Coordinating export development efforts at different sectors and production levels;

  Formulating and adopting of policy and program for active promotion of exports;
  Coordinating, monitoring and evaluating national export performance and analyzing export
trends;
  Carrying out promotional activities in product development & expansion of supply side capacity ;
 Exploring markets of exportable's abroad;
  Collecting and disseminating trade information to the stakeholders;
Organizing participation in international trade fairs abroad;
 Imparting training for HRD ;
 Conducting studies, surveys, research etc. for expansion and diversification of export and
Administering and monitoring of RMG quota.

EPB also assists the Ministry of Commerce in formulating policies related to export of the country.

WHAT IS THE PRESENT STRUCTURE OF EPB

Export Promotion Bureau functions with its Head Office in Dhaka. It has 3 regional offices in Chittagong,
Khulna and Rajshahi. In addition, there are 3 branch offices at Sylhet, Comilla and Narayangonj.

1. The Head Office of EPB consists of the following Divisions/Cell :

    (i) Policy and Planning Division.

    (ii) Commodities Development Division.

    (iii) Information Division.

    (iv) Fairs and Display Division.

    (v) Administration and Finance Division.

    (vi) Textile Cell.

2. In addition, one more Division and a Cell have been created through in house arrangement. These are:

   (i) Statistics and Research Division.

   (ii) Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Cell

Policy & Planning Division:

Policy & Planning Division consists of four sections namely:

 Policy
  ITO
 HRD
 GSP

Commodities Development Division:

The Commodities Development Division works closely with the private sector in solving day-today
problems of the exporters. The Division advises the exporters on the quality of the products, its
marketing and adaptation as well. This division arranges marketing missions abroad to find new markets
and buyers of the specific products. The Commodities Development Division works in Co-operation with
the Bangladesh missions of the concerned country to find new markets of Bangladeshi products and
consolidate the existing ones. It also helps in the amicable settlement of the trade disputes between
Bangladeshi Exporter and Foreign Importers.

Statistics & Research Division:

The Statistics & Research Division compiles statistics of export of the country. It collects export figures
from different custom stations of the country and after processing prepares monthly export statement.
The monthly export statement is disseminated among the Government and Private sector Organizations
related to export.

Information division:

Information Division:

The Information Division has two sections:

 Publication Section
 Trade Information Center

Administration & Finance Division:

The Administration & Finance Division of the Bureau runs the day-to-day administration of the Bureau.
The Finance Section prepares the annual budget of the EPB. The co-ordination branch of the
administration division organizes the meeting of the Board of Management (BOM) of EPB.