The Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) has warned that the country’s pharmaceutical sector may face losses of up to Tk 40 billion following the devastating fire at the Cargo Village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
The association disclosed the preliminary estimate during a press conference at its Tejgaon office on Tuesday, where BAPI Secretary General Zakir Hossain presented a statement outlining the scale of the damage.
He said the association had collected and analysed data from several pharmaceutical companies immediately after the fire, revealing that raw materials worth nearly Tk 2 billion belonging to the nation’s 45 leading drug manufacturers were destroyed.
“The total financial loss will be much higher once damages from other affected companies are fully accounted for,” Zakir noted.
According to BAPI, the destroyed consignments contained crucial ingredients for manufacturing a range of essential medicines, including antibiotics, vaccines, hormones, diabetes treatments, and cancer drugs.
“The loss of these materials will disrupt the production of several key medicines,” Zakir said. “Additionally, important spare parts and machinery were damaged, which will take time to replace through re-imports, delaying production further.”
He cautioned that the final loss figure could climb higher, as “each batch of raw materials is linked to multiple finished products,” making the impact far-reaching across the supply chain.
Bangladesh currently has 307 licensed drug manufacturing facilities, with around 250 companies actively producing medicines. BAPI leaders stressed that the industry – one of Bangladesh’s fastest-growing export sectors requires urgent government intervention to recover from the shock and prevent potential medicine shortages.
To that end, the organisation has placed 14 formal demands before the government, seeking targeted policy support, regulatory flexibility, and logistical assistance to stabilise operations and resume production quickly.
BAPI urged the authorities to ensure better cargo management systems, enhanced fire safety protocols at airport warehouses, and a streamlined import process for pharmaceutical raw materials and equipment.
The fire, which broke out in the Import Courier Section of the Cargo Village, has raised serious concerns among exporters and importers about the vulnerability of high-value goods stored at the airport’s facilities.
While investigations are underway to determine the cause and full extent of the damage, BAPI warned that any prolonged disruption could impact both domestic medicine supply and export commitments, dealing a major setback to a sector widely regarded as a cornerstone of Bangladesh’s industrial growth.
