IFAD Autos starts manufacturing bus

IFAD Autos on Thursday started manufacturing airconditioned and non-airconditioned bus locally, for the first time in the country, in collaboration with Ashok Leyland, an Indian multinational automobile company.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun inaugurated the plant at IFAD Autos Industrial Park at Dhamrai upazila in Dhaka.

Local lawmaker Benjir Ahmed and Bangladesh Trade & Tariff Commission Chairman Munshi Shahabuddin Ahmed attended the inaugural ceremony as special guests with IFAD Group Chairman Iftekhar Ahmed Tipu in the chair.

Speaking at the ceremony, the industries minister said the government had a target to manufacture international standard vehicles locally at reasonable prices. The industries minister has already initiated a plan to formulate an automobile policy to this end, he said.

The policy will be formulated to ensure sustainable development of the automobile sector, the minister said.

With an investment of over Tk 100 crore, the plant has a capacity to manufacture 500 AC buses and 500 non-AC buses yearly. It will also produce drivers’ cabin for trucks.

The raw material and spare parts will be sourced from Japan, Korean and Germany, said Rafique Uzzaman, head of media, IFAD Autos.

He said only the engine of the bus would be provided by Ashok Leyland and the body would be made locally.

‘Our plant was ready for operation about four months back. But due to coronavirus we had to reschedule the launch,” he told the Business Insider Bangladesh.