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Saturday | September 19, 2026 | Dhaka

Earnings rise at Ishwardi EPZ

 Ishwardi Correspondent
 Published: 12:01 AM, 19 September 2026

Although gas and electricity shortages affecting the country’s industrial sector, export earnings from Ishwardi Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Pabna have continued to rise.

In the 2025-26 fiscal year, the EPZ exported goods worth US$289.32 million, up US$31.07 million, or more than 12 per cent, from the previous fiscal year.

Officials said Ishwardi EPZ, located at Pakshi, is playing an important role in industrialisation, investment and employment in the northern and western regions. Besides readymade garments, the EPZ produces tents and camping equipment, wigs, batteries, industrial gloves, bulletproof jackets, chemicals, automobile parts, textiles, yarn and rubber products.

Ishwardi EPZ Manager A.B.M. Shahidul Islam said, “The overall situation at Ishwardi EPZ is good. Production and export activities are continuing normally. If uninterrupted gas and electricity supplies can be ensured, both local and foreign investment will increase further.”

He said three Chinese companies have recently applied to establish textile factories at the EPZ, which could create jobs for several thousand Bangladeshis. Investment would also increase if Ishwardi Airport is reopened, he added.

A.K.M. Anwar Parvez, Executive Director of BEPZA’s Public Relations Department, said Ishwardi EPZ is contributing significantly to industrialisation and employment in the northern and western regions.

“Besides conventional readymade garments, a wide range of products are manufactured here, helping diversify Bangladesh’s export basket,” he said.

Ishwardi EPZ ranks seventh among the country’s eight EPZs in total exports. The country’s first LEED Platinum-certified green factory, Vintage Denim Studio, is also located here.

An Industrial Hub Over Two Decades
Ishwardi EPZ was established in 2001 and has become an important contributor to the economic transformation of the northwestern region.

According to BEPZA, construction began in 1996 on 308.97 acres of land on the bank of the Padma River at Pakshi. The EPZ was inaugurated on January 13, 2001. All 324 plots have been allocated, with 27 factories currently operating and nine others under implementation.

The EPZ has fully foreign-owned, joint-venture and local enterprises. There are 11 fully foreign-owned companies, with investors from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Canada and the Marshall Islands.

It has its own electricity substation and arrangements for water and gas supply.
Employment Nears 21,000
Currently, 20,929 workers are employed at the EPZ, including 6,395 men and 14,534 women. Another 85 foreign nationals are working there.

The EPZ has also generated indirect employment through businesses and service establishments that have developed in surrounding areas.

Export Growth
BEPZA data show that exports from Ishwardi EPZ rose from US$209.60 million in 2021-22 to US$211.75 million in 2022-23, US$217.75 million in 2023-24, US$258.25 million in 2024-25, and US$289.32 million in 2025-26.

The sustained growth in exports, investment and employment has strengthened the EPZ’s role in the industrialisation of northwestern Bangladesh and the country’s export economy.