Finnish firm keen to set up plastic recycling plant in Cox’s Bazar

A Finnish company is interested to set up a plastic recycling plant in Cox’s Bazar to make plastic sheets, while Finnish businessmen are keen to invest more in Bangladesh.

“A Finnish plastic recycling company is interested to recycle single use plastics in Cox’s Bazar to turn them into plastic sheets, which can be used in the shelters in the Rohingya camps,” Non-resident Ambassador of Finland to Bangladesh Kimmo Lahdevirta said when he called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at his office in Tejgaon yesterday.

Chief adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed reporters at Foreign Service Academy after the meeting.

During the meeting, the student-led mass revolution, the interim government’s reform initiatives, trade, investment, and regional geopolitical issues came up for discussion.

The ambassador expressed his government’s full support to the Prof Yunus-led interim government and desired to contribute to the country’s reforms.

Ambassador Lahdevirta said the Finnish government would grant €1 million for the Rohingyas in Bangladesh and another €1 million euro would be channeled through the civil society.

Prof Yunus spoke about the student revolution and the work of the reform commissions and people’s aspirations from his government.

He said the economy of Bangladesh was in shambles when Hasina fled the country, but quick and tough reform measures have already helped stabilise the situation.

“Reserves are growing,” and the government has started making international payments without digging into the foreign currency reserves, he added.

He mentioned that he has made a move to revive the SAARC in an effort to boost regional cooperation.

The envoy informed that more Finnish businessmen are keen to visit Bangladesh with investment and called for faster processing of FDI (foreign direct investment) by Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).

He also shared interest of the Finnish side in recruiting Bangladeshi students and skilled workforce in their country and capacity building in the fields of AI, cyber security and quantum computing sectors.

The chief adviser assured the ambassador of all possible cooperation of the Bangladesh government in discharging his duties.