BM Desk : Md. Zakir Hossain, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries, mentioned that pharmaceutical raw materials valued at around Tk 2 billion (200 crore) were lost in the blaze at the cargo village of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

He delivered this remark during a press conference hosted by the Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) on Monday morning (October 20) at a hotel in Karwan Bazar, after the fire event at the cargo village.

The General Secretary mentioned that Bangladesh has 307 pharmaceutical firms, with 250 of them currently in operation. As of 11 a.m. today, 32 leading companies announced losses exceeding Tk 2 billion in raw materials. He stated that as soon as the other companies submit their data, the overall loss amount is anticipated to increase more.

The press conference was arranged by EAB to discuss the destruction resulting from the fire at the airport’s cargo village. EAB President Mohammad Hatem delivered a written statement.

Zakir Hossain explained that producing a single medicine can require up to 53 different ingredients. Therefore, the loss of raw materials worth Tk 2 billion could potentially disrupt the production of medicines worth Tk 30 to 50 billion (Tk 3,000–5,000 crore). However, he remarked that there won’t be any immediate disruption to the supply chain.

He also mentioned that during the fire on Saturday, many flights were redirected to Chattogram Airport. There is concern over whether the raw materials on those flights will remain intact, as proper temperature-controlled storage which is essential for preserving pharmaceutical ingredients  is lacking there.

Furthermore, he said the exact amount of financial loss will be clearer once information from all companies is collected, but emphasized that this incident poses a major economic risk to the pharmaceutical sector. He also urged that, like in other countries, cargo handling at airports in Bangladesh should operate 365 days a year.