Staff Reporter, Dhaka : In a significant move to diversify the range of products, the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) has signed a lease agreement with Lee’s Tobacco Machinery Company Limited, a UAE and Singapore-owned company. This agreement marks the establishment of the first machinery manufacturing industry in the BEPZA Economic Zone (EZ), further enhancing the zone’s diverse product line.
The agreement was signed today (February 3, 2025) by Mr. Md. Ashraful Kabir, Member (Investment Promotion) of BEPZA, and Mr. Li Meng, Chairman of Lee’s Tobacco Machinery Company Limited, in the presence of BEPZA Executive Chairman, Major General Abul Kalam Mohammad Ziaur Rahman, BSP, ndc, psc.
The company plans to invest US$ 8.32 million in the project, which will create employment opportunities for 92 Bangladeshi nationals. The factory will produce tobacco and cigarette machinery, a new and diversified product to be manufactured in the EPZs and EZ under BEPZA. Speaking at the signing ceremony, BEPZA Executive Chairman Major General Abul Kalam Mohammad Ziaur Rahman thanked Lee’s Tobacco Machinery Company Limited for choosing BEPZA EZ as their investment destination and assured them of all necessary support to ensure smooth operations. He stated, “This inaugural machinery manufacturing project marks a significant milestone in BEPZAs ongoing efforts to diversify its export-
oriented industries. We look forward to welcoming further investments in other machinery production industries that
can facilitate the growth of other export-oriented sectors.” The Executive Chairman also encouraged Lee’s Tobacco’s Chairman to serve as a brand ambassador for Bangladesh’s EPZs, helping attract even more international investors to the country.
Chairman of Lee’s Tobacco Machinery Company Limited, Mr. Li Meng, expressed his commitment to focusing on BEPZA’s potential and encouraging other investors to consider the EPZs and EZ under BEPZA. He assured BEPZA of his company’s dedication to transferring specialized knowledge and expertise in machinery production to Bangladeshi workers. It will help build a skilled workforce capable of producing machinery that is new to the
country’s industrial landscape, he added. Mr. Li also shared plans to establish two more industries in the BEPZA EZ in the near future, further enhancing the zone’s industrial capabilities.
The signing ceremony was attended by senior BEPZA officials, including Member (Engineering) Md. Imtiaz Hossain, Member (Finance) A N M Foyzul Haque, Executive Director (Investment Promotion) Md. Tanvir Hossain,
Executive Director (Admin) Md. Tazim-Ur-Rahman, Executive Director (Public Relations) A.S.M Anwar Parvez and representatives of Lee’s Tobacco Machinery Company Limited.