Commerce Minister inaugurates RFL Group’s bicycle factory in Rangpur
The RFL Group, in an effort to meet the rising demands of both local and export markets, has opened another bicycle factory at Gangachara in Rangpur. The country’s leading business conglomerate will manufacture frames, forks, tyres, tubes and some other bicycle components at this 70,000-square-foot factory. This was made possible through a program on Thursday that was inaugurated by Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi.
The factory has received an investment of Tk60 crore and will employ 1,000 people. RFL Group has been manufacturing and marketing bicycles since 2014. The first bicycle factory of RFL is located at Shayestaganj in Habiganj. The factory currently has an annual production capacity of eight lakh pieces of bicycle. RFL-manufactured bicycles are currently exported to 15 countries, including England, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Austria and Belgium.
Moreover, the bicycle manufactured by RFL Group for the local market is very popular.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said: “The Pran-RFL group is working for the economic freedom of the country. The group works with farmers as well as people living in the villages. Pran products are now everywhere in India, especially in Assam. This all the stories of our victory.”
Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Chairman and CEO of Pran-RFL Group, said that the company’s second bicycle factory in Gangachra, Rangpur was launched in response to growing demand in the local and export markets. All bikes for the local market will be manufactured at this factory.
The factory’s annual production capacity will be six lakh pieces once it is fully operational.
The factory has been set up with the objective of creating skilled manpower in this sector as well as creating employment in the northern part of the country.
He also added that the light engineering sector in the country has progressed because of the various measures taken by the present government. The import dependency on various goods in this sector including bicycles has decreased. Not only this, but the export earnings of this sector is also slowly growing. They are hopeful that the light engineering sector will be able to soon establish a prominent position in export trade of the country and RFL Group wants to be at the forefront of this charge.
The Opposition Chief Whip Md Mashiur Rahman Ranga, the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Tapan Kanti Ghosh, the DIG of the Rangpur Range of Bangladesh Police Mohammad Abdul Alim Mahmud, the Senior Vice President of FBCCI Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu, the Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Dr Chitralikha Naznen, the Superintendent of Police Ferdous Ali Chowdhury and the Managing Director of RFL Group RN Paul all spoke at the event.
