Country’s export processing zones (EPZs) regulatory body has expressed high hopes of succeeding in attracting the targeted $1 billion local and foreign investment in the zones this fiscal.

Referring to a wrongly reported labour unrest in the EPZs, it, however, suggested projection of correct situation to the foreign investors rather than providing any misleading information.

At a press briefing in Dhaka yesterday, Bepza (Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority) Executive Chairman Brigadier General Ashraf Abdullah Yussuf vehemently rejected the outcome of a survey of the state of working atmosphere in the EPZs conducted by Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health And Environment Foundation (Oshe), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), and said, “There were some methodological and explanatory errors in the report that does not match with the present congenial environment in the zones.”

Meantime, Oshe Executive Director A R Chowdhury Repon told The Daily Star that they would withdraw the report on EPZs as it contains some errors and needs more modification.

The NGO also asked the media not to publish any report based on its findings.

The Bepza top official in the press conference pointed to the fact that no incident of labour unrest occurred in the EPZs after the mass unrest in June 2006.

He said if workers raise their voice to demand some extra benefits from their factory owners like daily meal, holidays and wages, it would be wrong to describe it as unrest.

Ashraf Abdullah Yussuf said more inflow of investment in recent days bears the testimony of a better working environment in the EPZs.

In this connection, he listed a number of Bepza measures to improve the situation in the EPZs, which include formation of Workers Representation Welfare Committee (WRFC), introduction of workers’ associations in 53 industrial units out of 177 units and 32 percent or Tk350crore increase in workers’ salary up to June 2007.

“We have received huge investment proposal from foreign investors especially from China, Japan and Taiwan,” the Bepza chief said, adding that maximum lands in the EPZs have already been utilised by the entrepreneurs who invested their money in the zones.

He said they asked the government for expansion of different EPZs in the country as investors’ response is significant.

Against its target, Bepza already received $600million registered investment from both local and foreign investors in the first three months of the current fiscal.

The Bepza chief also informed the journalists that it is also working to start the 14 factories declared closed in different times and has so far been able to open 9.

He said they are determined to ensure the minimum wage structure ($30) for the EPZ workers and that’s why the Bepza is now not allowing export-import permit to any factory that does not provide such wages according to rules.

Bepza expects $300 million actual investment in the country’s export processing zones (EPZs) by the end of 2007-08. The EPZs regulator also set a $2.3billion export target this fiscal.

It registered $566 million investment proposals during FY2006-07, a 270 percent rise over the previous fiscal year. The investment in the EPZs in 2006-07 was $152.37 million, which was 35 percent higher compared to that of FY 2005-06, according to Bepza statistics.

The Bepza also expects the number of employment would reach 30,000 in the EPZs by the end of this fiscal. Now, some 23,000 people are employed there.