Mineral Resources Trade & Commerce in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has modest mineral reserves; mining contributes <1% of GDP. Key resources and commercial activity:

1. Natural Gas — Primary Resource

• 27 Tcf proven reserves (2023); 22 producing fields.
• Meets ~70% of commercial energy demand (power, fertilizer, industry, CNG transport, domestic).
• Exports: None currently (pipeline to India proposed, stalled). All production consumed domestically.
• Operator: Petrobangla (state) + IOCs (Chevron, Tullow, Santos) under PSC.

2. Coal

• Barapukuria (Dinajpur): only operating mine (~1 Mt/yr, low-grade, high sulfur). Feeds 525 MW power plant.
• Phulbari (Dinajpur): large deposit (572 Mt), undeveloped — controversy over open-pit vs. underground, displacement, water.
• Imports: 2–3 Mt/yr (Indonesia, South Africa, Australia) for power plants (Payra, Rampal, Matarbari).

3. Limestone

• Deposits: Joypurhat, St. Martin's Island, Sylhet (Jaintiapur), Takerghat.
• Primary use: Cement (7 plants, ~40 Mt/yr capacity). Major brands: Shah, Premier, Seven Circle, LafargeHolcim (Surma).
• Some exports to India (Meghalaya cement plants).

4. Construction Aggregates

• Sand: River dredging (Jamuna, Padma, Meghna) — major but environmentally contentious. Used in concrete, brick, fill. Some export to India.
• Gravel/Stone: Crushed from Sylhet hills, imported from India (crushed stone), Bhutan.

5. Clay & Ceramics

• Alluvial clay abundant — fuels massive brick industry (~10,000 kilns, seasonal).
• Ceramics: RAK Ceramics (UAE JV), Fuwang, Great Wall — export tiles/sanitaryware ($100M+/yr).

6. Heavy Mineral Sands

• Cox's Bazar, Kuakata, Nijhum Dwip: ilmenite, rutile, zircon, monazite, garnet.
• Pilot extraction (Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission); not yet commercial scale.

7. Granite / Dimension Stone

• Limited quarrying in Dinajpur, Rangpur (Precambrian basement). Used locally for facing, paving.

Economic Outlook

Gas dominates. Coal import dependency rising. Limestone/sand/clay serve domestic construction. Heavy minerals and granite remain underexplored. Regulatory framework (Mines & Minerals Act 1992, amended 2020) aims to attract investment but faces land/environment hurdles.