Country set to produce drones for civilian usage, export

It augurs as a major breakthrough in export diversification as a Bangladeshi company is going to produce unmanned aerial vehicle, popularly known as drone.

The company, Sky Bees Ltd, is set to sign an agreement in this regard today (Thursday) under which it will set up a hi-tech industry for producing exportable drones in the Mirsarai Economic Zone in Chittagong.

Sky Bees is the subsidiary of leading accessories manufacturer Sunamco Attire Ltd, which has strong presence on the export market.

Initially, the company will manufacture drones for fire fighting, survey, cinematography and mapping, Managing Director of Sunamco Joshim Ahmed told the FE Wednesday.

The start-up investment for this project is around Tk 5500 million and the company is expected to fetch an export revenue of 170 million US dollars in the first year of operations.

The revenue will increase gradually with the expansion of the facilities, officials said.

Commenting on the project, Executive Director of BEPZA Amwar Parvez said that this is definitely an "extraordinary and welcome move".

"In our economic zones we encourage projects which can help in promoting export diversification and a drone project will surely be a diversified product," he adds.

Whatever the investment size, the project is significant as it adds a diversified product in the country's export basket.

Guided autonomously, by remote control, or both the UAVs, drones can be remarkably efficient, offering substantially greater range and endurance than equivalent manned systems.

Talking to the FE, Mr Ahmed said that the company will start commercial production in 2025 with high- calibre rotatory-wing drones.

Later, the company will go for expansion with another 10 models which will include fixed- wing drones.

These drones being produced for civilian use will also be engaged in relief and rescue operation, officials said, adding that they have a target to produce 7,314 drones every year.

Ahmed is also the founder of Global Labels Bangladesh Ltd, a Bangladesh-Spain joint venture, and Jinqui Global Textile, a China-Bangladesh joint -venture company.

About the design of the drone he says most of the software and designs are invented indigenously. The company itself will produce major components of the drones.

"People who will be involved in the production process are well-trained in different drone facilities abroad," he informed. Interestingly, Bangladesh itself has a domestic market for drones where demand is rising day by day.

According to statistics, the revenue in the drones market in 2024 is approximately US$2.9m and it is projected to experience an annual growth of 8.91 per cent (CAGR 2024-2029). But there are restrictions on using drones domestically.

"If the government wants to buy from us, we can supply," Mr Ahmed said, pointing out that according to BEPZA rules a company can sell 10 per cent of its products on the domestic market. In comparison to other countries, China generates the highest revenue on the drones market, industry sources said, adding that the drones market in Bangladesh continues to grow and contribute to the country's economic landscape.

The country is experiencing a growing demand for drones, particularly in the agricultural sector, where they are being used for crop monitoring and pesticide spraying.

Recently, Bangladesh started off preparation to introduce drones to detect crop damage caused by extreme weather events or diseases with the support of the the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Around 20 officers of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) are initially receiving training to learn how to use the state-of-the-art technologies.

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