33,000 Acres by the Sea: Inside Bangladesh's Largest Industrial Development
The National Special Economic Zone spans nearly 33,000 acres across Mirsarai, Sitakunda and Sonagazi. BEPZA's zone alone targets $2.7 billion in investment and 400,000 jobs.
By the UISC BD Editorial Desk · United Information Service Center · Published 9 September 2026 · 7-minute read
The National Special Economic Zone (NSEZ) stretches across nearly 33,000 acres — spanning Mirsarai and Sitakunda upazilas in Chattogram and Sonagazi upazila in Feni. It is the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority's flagship industrial development, and by area it is one of the largest planned industrial zones anywhere in South Asia.
For scale: 33,000 acres is roughly 133 square kilometres — larger than many capital cities.
The BEPZA Zone Inside It
The most advanced component is the BEPZA economic zone, where land development is under way across 935 acres. The Export Processing Zones Authority has proposed readying 539 industrial plots, on the assessment that doing so would secure $2.7 billion in investment and generate 400,000 jobs.
Those are targets. Here is what has actually happened, as of mid-July 2026:
- $130 million invested — before the site's development project was even complete.
- $52.82 million in exports already generated.
- 5,074 people employed.
- 63 local and foreign companies signed to lease agreements.
- $1.49 billion in proposed investment from those signatories, against a stated potential of $2.9 billion.
A zone generating exports and employing five thousand people while still under construction is a meaningfully different proposition from one that exists on a master plan.
Who Is Already Committing
Investment is arriving across sectors rather than concentrating in one. MEP Hi-Tech is investing Tk 200 crore in an electrical and electronics manufacturing facility at the zone — notable because electronics assembly is precisely the diversification away from garments that Bangladesh's industrial strategy has been seeking.
Separately, a defence industrial zone is planned at Mirsarai, and BEZA intends to allocate 500 acres to an international master developer for a "Green Factory Hub" — a serviced, sustainability-specified sub-zone aimed at manufacturers whose buyers demand certified environmental performance.
Given that Bangladesh already holds 69 of the world's 100 highest-rated LEED factories, a purpose-built green hub is building on demonstrated strength rather than aspiration.
Why the Location Is the Whole Argument
Mirsarai sits between Chattogram — Bangladesh's principal seaport — and the Dhaka–Chattogram highway corridor that carries most of the country's freight.
For an export manufacturer, that geography answers the question that determines viability: how far is it from my factory door to a container ship? At Mirsarai the answer is short, on a road built for freight, without crossing a river or transiting a congested city centre.
The nearby deep-sea port under construction at Matarbari will add capacity for larger vessels, which matters for bulk inputs and for economies of scale on outbound shipping.
What an Investor Should Verify
Three practical questions determine whether a plot here works for a given business:
- Power availability and date. Industrial-voltage supply is the binding constraint on most Bangladeshi industrial projects. Get the connection commitment in writing with a date.
- Which zone within the NSEZ. The 33,000 acres are not uniformly developed. BEPZA's 935 acres and the CEIZ site are at very different stages from land elsewhere in the footprint.
- Effluent and water treatment. For textiles, chemicals or food processing, shared treatment infrastructure availability decides whether a facility can legally operate.
The Honest Framing
Thirty-three thousand acres is a plan; 935 acres are being developed; roughly $130 million is in the ground. The gap between those three numbers is the realistic measure of where this project stands.
But the direction is unambiguous, and the early-tenant evidence is real. For manufacturers who need serviced industrial land next to a working port in Asia at Bangladeshi land prices, this is currently the most credible address in the country.
Related reading
- 800 Acres, $1.3 Billion: The Chinese Economic Zone in Chattogram
- Five Economic Zones, Not a Hundred: Bangladesh Changes Course
- Barisal: The Region the Padma Bridge Opened, Still Empty
- BEPZA Zones Hit $8.41 Billion — 17.5% of All Bangladesh Exports
Sources
- "National Special Economic Zone (NSEZ) Master Plan," Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority — beza.gov.bd
- "Bepza Economic Zone in Mirsarai draws nearly $130m before completion, eyes $2.9b potential," The Business Standard — tbsnews.net
- "BEPZA for doubling plots at Mirsarai Economic Zone," The Business Standard — tbsnews.net
- "MEP Hi-Tech to invest Tk 200cr in Mirsarai Economic Zone," BSS News — bssnews.net
- "Beza to engage int'l developer for 'Green Factory Hub' at Special Economic Zone in Mirsarai," The Business Standard — tbsnews.net
