Staff Correspondent

S.Alam Group , one of the leading industrial groups of the country, has adopted the master plan of various projects with the government for sugarcane production and modernization of sugar mills in Bangladesh to remedy the sugar industry.

These projects will be implemented with the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) and the Ministry of Industries.

These include - improved sugarcane production and training of farmers using technology, construction of modern sugarcane processing factories, 6 MW power co-generation, construction of agro-voltaic solar power plants, construction of by-product-based plants, development of cold storage and agro-processing industries, construction of packaging factory etc. These projects will be implemented in Setabganj of Dinajpur and the sugar mill area of Faridpur.

S.Alam & Co. will take the initiative to produce high-quality sugarcane. In this regard, the company will jointly work with BSFIC, BSRI and international researchers. Modern technology including cloning and genetic engineering will be applied to innovate different hybrid breeds. Farmers will be trained to maximize production.

Besides, S.Alam & Co. will set up a state-of-the-art sugarcane processing plant with a capacity of 1,250 TCD at Setabganj Sugar Mill in Dinajpur. It will be expandable to a maximum capacity of 2,500 TCD. Another state-of-the-art sugarcane processing plant of 1,000 TCD capacity at Faridpur Sugar Mill. This plant too can be expanded up to a maximum capacity of 2,500 TCD.

From these plants, 12 thousand tons of premium quality brown sugar will be produced every year. Later, it will increase to 15 to 18 thousand tons per year. Since it is not possible to generate profit from an industrial establishment unless it is operational year-round, S.Alam & Co. will establish a sugar refinery, which will refine imported raw sugar of about 900 TPD in Season and 1000TPD in off season.

Furthermore, power plants of 6 MW or more capacity will be constructed to meet the demand of sugar factories, sugar refineries and other factories. In this case, Bagasse will be used as boiler fuel. Also, dual-fuel boilers might be used, where coal is also an option for fuel.

Besides, S.Alam & Co. will build agro-voltaic solar power plants: 100 MW solar power plant in Setabganj and a 10 MW plant in the sugar mill area of Faridpur. These projects will require 400 acres and 40 acres of land respectively. Several crops will be produced under this solar plant project. After meeting domestic needs, the surplus power generated from the solar plants will be added to the national grid.

Sugar mills produce a variety of by-products, including molasses, filter press mud, and ash. Molasses will be sold to Carew & Co., while plants for processing the other by-products will be built accordingly. Moreover, a solar plant and facilities for preserving seasonal crops from the Dinajpur and Faridpur regions will be required. In response to this, cold storage units with a capacity of 2,000 metric tons will be built in Setabganj and sugar mill area of Faridpur.

Product diversification is a must to transform Setabganj Sugar Mill and Faridpur Sugar Mill into profitable ventures. Vegetables and fruits are abundant in Dinajpur and Faridpur regions. It presents a significant opportunity for agricultural processing. S.Alam & Co. plans to set up a vegetable processing plant for the processing and production of frozen, canned, dehydrated and pickled vegetables.

S.Alam & Co. plans to manufacture canned fruit peel, fruit juices, mixed fruit juices, and various types of dried fruits. The company also intend to produce frozen French fries, potato chips, starch, pasta, noodles, soups, frozen meals, canned foods, pickles, cereals, and other food products.

The proposed factories will require different types of PP bags, LDPE packets and different types of packaging for the products. Therefore, S.Alam & Co. will set up one packaging factory in both Setabganj and Faridpur. The production capacity of these factories will be assessed through a feasibility study.

S.Alam & Co.’s investment will play a significant role in building sustainable agriculture-based industries, creating job opportunities and strengthening the local as well as national economy.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony of this initiative was attended by Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun MP, Hon'ble Minister, Ministry of Industries; Zakia Sultana, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Industries; S M Alam, Additional Secretary (State-Owned Corporation), Ministry of Industries; Md Shamimul Haque, Additional Secretary (Planning), Ministry of Industries; Chowdhury Ruhul Amin Kaiser, Secretary, BSFIC; and Sheikh Shoibul Alam NDC, Chairman, BSFIC. On behalf of S.Alam & Co., Subrata Kumar Bhowmik, FCA, Executive Director (Finance); Md Arifur Rahman Apu, Advisor; Ashraful Alam, Director; Belal Ahmed, Director; Md. Moniruzzaman, FCA, Deputy General Manager (Accounts); Md. Nazrul Islam, ACA, AGM (Accounts), and Nagib Mahfuz, Manager, Technical Service, SS Power I Limited, were also present.