DHAKA, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The leading Bangladeshi steel manufacturer GPH Ispat Limited started to export mild steel billets to China on Wednesday, with the first 25,000-tonne shipment being worth 10.17 million U.S. dollars.
The first export consignment is scheduled to leave the Chattogram port, some 242 km southeast of the capital Dhaka, on Nov. 21, the company said in a statement.
Speaking at a ceremony held by the company to mark the event, Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said, "It's a milestone for Bangladesh that the country is exporting billet to China."
The Bangladeshi government is planning to give an incentive to steel manufacturers to encourage exporting billets and other steel products, according to the minister.
Addressing the ceremony, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun urged enterprises to boost export-oriented production to contribute to the national economic development. Enditem
