Online sales, Padma Bridge open new horizon for Jashore light engineering

Infograph: TBS

An online platform along with the Padma Bridge has opened a new horizon for the light engineering sector in Jashore as its sales have seen a significant jump in the past few months.

Industry insiders claim that sales of light engineering products, especially through an online platform, rose 30%.

They say the sector sold products worth Tk115 crore in 2021, but last year the sales reached Tk162 crore.

The demand for imported products from India and China is decreasing as the quality of the tools and machines produced in Jashore is good and the prices are affordable, traders told The Business Standard.

They said government support could further develop the sector.

Abid Hasan, owner of Athai Lima Engineering, said earlier he used to sell products worth Tk1 to Tk1.5 lakh every month. But the Padma Bridge and the online marketplace banglatraders.com have now boosted his sales to Tk4-5 lakh.

He also said he now gets sale orders from several districts including Faridpur, Pabna, Munshiganj, and Netrakona which was unexpected before.

Bangladesh Engineering Industry Owners Association Jashore General Secretary Md Shamsul Alam Swapon said, "Once products had to be sold through middlemen. Now we are able to build direct communications with the buyers through banglatraders.com. Also, the Padma Bridge has made the transportation of products smooth.

"As a result, products from Jashore are now possible to send to any part of the country by courier services."

About 300 light engineering companies are now producing machines for agriculture, food processing, foundries, small factories, as well as various types of motor and safety security parts. They also provide repair services.

There is a high demand for some products including paddy threshing machines, rice-harvesting machines, brick crushers, and various car parts, manufacturers said.

The sector now daily produces products worth about Tk40 lakh to Tk45 lakh, the yearly production standing at Tk162 crore.

Sales have increased by 30% due to the opening of Padma Bridge and the digital platform banglatraders.com funded by Swisscontact.  

Now it takes 3.5 to 4 hours for their goods to reach Dhaka thanks to the opening of Padma Bridge. Moreover, it takes less time to send products elsewhere in the country. Now, it is the end of the truckload products' wait for hours for the ferry. That is why the demand for Jashore products has increased, said people concerned.

The Swiss and Bangladesh joint venture Swisscontact's PRABRIDDHI project started working in 2019 for the development of Jashore's light engineering industry. Swisscontact's online platform banglatraders.com has been working since 2021 to further expand the development, progress, and digitalisation of the industry.

One of the objectives of Bangla Traders is to reach the highest level of development and to advance this industry in tune with the modern era through digitisation. Swisscontact is working to bring everyone under e-directory and e-commerce by connecting the light engineering industry and its related institutions with Bangla Traders.

So far 300 factories in the Jashore region have been connected to this online platform.

Emanur Rahman Emon, the chief officer of Bangla Traders (banglatraders.com), said its main objective is to deliver products of the country's light engineering industry to the world beyond the whole country.

Jashore Deputy Commissioner Tamizul Islam Khan said, "Jashore is the first digital district in the country. Currently, this light engineering industry is one of the key projects implemented by the government. All sectors will gradually benefit from this digitalisation."