STEEL & RE-ROLLING INDUSTRY OF BANGLADESH: STRENGTHENING COUNTRY’S INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Steel and Re-Rolling industry: fast paced recovery from pandemic on the cards
The Steel and Re-rolling industry, one of the prominent growth drivers of Bangladesh, has had its fair share of hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. This has been reflected on numbers as world crude steel production recorded a 3.2% decline compared to figures recorded in the same time period last year. As a developing nation with increased focus on to infrastructural development and lined up mega projects, Bangladesh sees massive growth potential in the Steel industry. With a market size of around BDT 450 billion the local Steel market employs nearly 1 (one) million people directly or indirectly across the country. The market has been growing at a rate of 15%- 20% for the past 2 years and contributes largely to the country’s GDP. However, the market for steel is turning into a perfectly competitive one from an oligopolistic structure as small players are now gaining efficiency and reaching competitive levels of their larger peers such as AKS, BSRM, KSRM etc. With the growth of the smaller companies, it is safe to say that the challenges that come with surviving in the Steel industry – such as, abundant supply of power and gas, availability of raw materials etc. are being well taken care of.
The Steel industry strategically runs on overcapacity. It is seen that the utilization is around 75% of total capacity which came down to 40% due to the pandemic wave. The prices of raw materials and finished goods are also seen to fall. However, as a resilient nation, Bangladesh is adapting fast to the new challenges that came with the pandemic. And, as we look towards a new normal, companies in the Steel industry must work in collaboration with regulators in order to sustain the growth and maintain the level of efficiency reached prior to the pandemic.
Sushmita Saha
Assistant Manager
IDLC Finance Limited
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