Danish investors are keen on investing more in Bangladesh and eager to further extend their partnership with the country, said Commercial Counsellor of Danish Embassy in Dhaka Soren Robenhagen.
While talking to the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday, Robenhagen said: “Small handful of Danish companies were operating in Bangladesh some 15 years ago. But the situation has been changed as around 60 companies are now running their businesses here in Bangladesh.
“More and more investors of our country are showing interest in the developing market.”
“Readymade garment sector, port operations, energy efficient equipment, solar, wind and thermal energy, ICT sector, food and agriculture, fishing, and environment solution, are the areas where the Dansih companies have interest,” added the Commercial Counsellor.
“Generally, the whole energy sector, I believe will have much more focus in the future,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Mentioning that many small companies do not have the capacity and resources to start business in developing countries like Bangladesh, he further said: “The Danish government undertook a programme to promote business to business contact between the two countries some 15 years ago when only three companies--Dano (Arla Foods), Novo Nordisk and Maersk Line-- were operating their business here.”
Danida, the Danish development agency, had launched a programme for matchmaking among the companies of the two countries and it paid off, he said.
According to the statistics, the two-way trade was $530 million in January-September period last year while the two-way trade was $275 million in 2010.
Noting that many factory owners in Bangladesh “opt for cheap products which lead to higher maintenance and energy costs,” Robenhagen said: “A good high quality and energy efficient product from Denmark or from any Nordic country can reduce the total costs of ownership compared with a cheaper and low quality product.”
The good quality product will often have longer life-cycle, lower maintenance cost and half the energy cost than the cheap product, he said. “That is the thinking we need to change in Bangladesh.”