381 factories are closed across Bangladesh: Minister

A total of 381 small and medium-sized industrial factories are currently closed across the country, Industries Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir has told Parliament. However, 22 factories that had been shut down have resumed operations up to September of the current 2026–27 fiscal year.

The minister disclosed the information in a written reply during the question-and-answer session on the fourth day of the fourth session of the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday (12 November).

During the session, Dhaka-4 MP Syed Zainul Abedin asked how many industrial units were operating in the Shyampur industrial area of his constituency, how many were currently operational or closed, and what plans the government had to reopen the closed factories and create employment.

In reply, Muktadir said the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), under the Ministry of Industries, establishes industrial estates and parks where private entrepreneurs set up factories after receiving plot allocations. However, factories located outside BSCIC industrial estates do not fall under its jurisdiction. As a result, BSCIC does not have accurate statistics on all factories in the Shyampur industrial area of Dhaka-4.

The minister said BSCIC has established 84 industrial estates across the country, containing a total of 11,748 industrial plots. Private entrepreneurs have set up 6,344 factories on these plots, of which 381 are currently closed.

As part of efforts to reopen the closed units, 22 factories have resumed operations up to September in the current fiscal year, he added.

Regarding the Shyampur industrial area, the minister said two industrial enterprises owned by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), which is under the Ministry of Industries, are located there. Both are currently closed.