Raw materials worth Tk 200 crore destroyed in cargo village fire!

The Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry Association has said that at least Tk 200 crore worth of raw materials worth Tk 200 crore have been destroyed in a terrible fire at the cargo village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. It is feared that this could cause a major disaster in the country's pharmaceutical production sector. This information was given by Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Industry Association Secretary General Md. Zakir Hossain at a press conference at the Sonargaon Hotel in the capital on Monday. Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) President Mohammad Hatem and other industry-related people were present at the time.

At the press conference, Zakir Hossain said that there are currently 307 pharmaceutical companies in the country, of which 250 are operating. As of 11 am, the top 32 companies have reported that their raw materials worth more than Tk 200 crore have been destroyed in the fire. He also said that the amount of damage will increase further when the accounts of the remaining companies are received. Usually, 10 to 53 ingredients are required to produce a medicine. As a result, the production of medicines worth around Tk 3,000 to 5,000 crore may be disrupted due to the burning of raw materials worth Tk 200 crore. However, Zakir Hossain expressed hope that the supply system will not collapse immediately.

He also said that several cargo planes were sent to Chittagong Airport when the fire broke out. The raw materials of medicines on those planes are also at risk. Maintaining a certain temperature is very important for storing raw materials of medicines. Since there is no such facility in Chittagong, there are also concerns about the quality of those raw materials, he said.

On the other hand, EAB President Mohammad Hatem said that the fire at Cargo Village has caused direct and indirect losses of around Tk 12,000 crore. He alleged that the authorities have revealed their extreme failure in fire detection and prevention systems in an important facility like Cargo Village. He also commented that such mismanagement is a serious threat to the national economy.

It is worth noting that a fire broke out in the part of Cargo Village at Shahjalal Airport where imported goods are stored on Saturday night. After the fire, multiple units of the fire service reached the spot and brought the fire under control. However, the severity of the fire caused huge damage, which experts believe will have a profound impact on the country's pharmaceutical industry. Both the Pharmaceutical Industry Association and the EAB have called for a prompt and thorough investigation of the damage and the development of international standard fire prevention systems.