In a bid to meet the local and export's markets growing demand, the country's leading business conglomerate RFL Group has opened another bicycle factory at Gangachara in Rangpur. Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi formally inaugurated this factory through a program on Thursday.
Addressing the program, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said, "During the liberation war, my father and I traveled 42 miles towards the border. But the problem was we didn't have the money. Then father sold our bicycle for 360 taka. With that money, we crossed the Porta towards India. Father was a British soldier. He went straight to war and I went to training. After that we fought for the freedom of the country.
He also said, "Through the liberation war, we got independent, sovereign territory. But the war of economic freedom is still going on. If Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had lived, we would have got economic freedom earlier. But this economic freedom war is now everyone's. RFL is playing an important role here. "
In the words of manga in the northern region, he said, "Once upon a time there was manga in this area. Now this word is past. Earlier, the poor were helped by collecting rice from different places. These scenes are no more. "Comfort has returned to all."
Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Chairman and CEO of PRAN-RFL Group, said, RFL Group launched the second bicycle factory in Gangachra, Rangpur in the context of growing demand in the local and export markets. All the bikes for the local market will be manufactured from 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.
Opposition Chief Whip Md. Mashiur Rahman Ranga, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Tapan Kanti Ghosh, DIG of Rangpur Range of Bangladesh Police Mohammad Abdul Alim Mahmud, Senior Vice President of FBCCI Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu, Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Dr. Chitralikha Naznen, Superintendent of Police Ferdous Ali Chowdhury and Managing Director of RFL Group RN Paul spoke on the occasion.
Apart from manufacturing bicycle, the 70,000-square-feet factory will manufacture frames, forks, tyres, tubes and some other bicycle components. The factory has received an investment of approximately Tk 60 crore. It will employ around 1,000 people.
RFL Group has been manufacturing and marketing bicycle 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 local market is very popular.
