The government has decided to operate the long-closed Kokil Textile Mills in Brahmanbaria under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, nearly 19 years after operations were halted.
On Monday, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury at the Secretariat, gave in-principle approval to the proposal for implementing the project titled 'Development of Kokil Textile Mills Limited, Brahmanbaria' under the PPP framework.
According to the Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC), Kokil Textile spans 10.58 acres of land. Under the proposed model, the private partner will finance, construct, maintain, and operate the factory using its own funds. In exchange, the government will receive lease payments for the land. The ownership of the land will remain with the government, and the private partner will not be permitted to mortgage it. The project plans to establish industries related to textiles, ready-made garments, and jute.
The history of Kokil Textile Mills dates back to the pre-independence era. It was originally established in 1961 as Panorama Company Limited in Brahmanbaria and began yarn production in 1966. Following independence, the factory was nationalized in 1972 and renamed Kokil Textile Mills.
Production at the mill resumed under private management in 2007, but the factory was shut down again on October 16 of the same year amid various labor demands. At that time, 210 workers were employed at the facility.
Meanwhile, in a separate development on Monday, the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved the procurement of a total of 70,000 tonnes of urea fertilizer from Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Limited (KAFCO) and Saudi Arabia's SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company, with a total estimated cost of 364 million.
