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Wellpac exports to plastic bag market in Europe

Sarwar A Chowdhury
An export-oriented Dutch-Bangla joint venture company started its journey last month.
The company, Wellpac Polymers Limited, has already made its first shipment of plastic bags to the Netherlands entering the billion-dollar international plastic bag market.
"Initially our target is exporting 3,000 tonnes of plastic bag, especially shopping and garbage bags, a year only to the European countries," said M Hassan Khaled, managing director ofWellpac.
The joint venture between Walbeek Foods BV of the Netherlands and Kamico Bangladesh Ltd was established in 2006 under the Dutch-funded PSOM Project.
For the establishment of the project, an agreement was signed between Bangladesh and Dutch government aiming at poverty alleviation and private sector development for sustainable micro economy.
Sixty percent of the establishment cost funded by the Dutch grant, while Wellpac and Kamico provided the rest 40 percent.
"Although a few plastic bag manufactur-ing companies are already in the exportbusiness on a limited scale, ours will be a large-scale export for the first time from here," said Khaled, also the MD of Kamico Bangladesh.
He said the annual production capacity of the company will be 10,000 tonnes of
plastic bags when it goes into a full-fledged operation
"Through this manufacturing unit we are contributing to employment genera tion and foreign exchange earning and thus, economic development of the country," said Khaled, also the vice-president of Dutch-Bangla Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He said the key raw material, petrochemical bi-product, is imported mainly from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Wellpac is located at Bousia, adjacent to Dhaka-Chittagong highway and 36 kilometres away from the capital.
A formal launching ceremony of the company was held last week where former adviser CS Karim and Netherlands Ambassador Bea Ten TLisschar were pres ent among others.
The ambassador told the function that the Dutch government is working on reducing poverty and helping build indus tries to change the lot of Bangladeshi peo pie.
She noted that Wellpac is also part ol their activities and assured the company of extending more financial assistance. She had also spelt out the Dutch government's determination to uphold its positive image in Bangladesh and finished her speech thanking the Dhaka government for its cordial cooperation.
sarwar@thedailystar.net