Darshana:For nearly nine decades, Carew and Company (Bangladesh) Limited has been a major economic force in southwestern Bangladesh, significantly enhancing local livelihoods, generating employment, and contributing to the national economy through its diversified industrial operations.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the historic Carew and Company was established in 1938 by British entrepreneur Robert Russell in Darshana town under Damurhuda upazila, approximately 20 kilometers from the district headquarters. This state-owned industrial complex has been pivotal in shaping the region's economic and social landscape.
The facility includes a sugar mill, distillery, organic fertilizer factory, and pharmaceutical unit, and earned a profit of Taka 164 crore in the 2025-26 fiscal year. It is regarded as the second-largest sugar mill in Asia, bringing significant changes to the lives of thousands of sugarcane farmers in Chuadanga and neighboring areas.
Currently, the establishment employs around 59 officers and nearly 1,300 workers, with approximately 5,000 farmers and over one lakh people benefitting financially from its operations. Despite limited industrial expansion in the region since independence, Carew and Company continues to provide employment and sustain economic activities.
The mill was nationalized in 1972 and has been operating under the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation. It owns 3,556 acres of land, with 1,500 acres used for sugarcane cultivation annually. During the current planting season, 3,605 farmers have cultivated sugarcane with support from the company.
Farmers receive Taka 6.51 per kilogram of sugarcane delivered to the mill gate and Taka 6.37 per kilogram for outside deliveries. The mill crushed 65,468 tonnes of sugarcane in the 2025-26 season, producing 3,564 tonnes of sugar. For the 2026-27 season, it aims to crush 80,000 tonnes and produce 4,800 tonnes.
The company has implemented a Balancing, Modernisation, Rehabilitation, and Expansion project to increase production and efficiency. The organic fertilizer factory, producing under the brand 'Sonar Dana,' has set a production target of 3,500 tonnes for the current year.
Despite financial challenges in sugar production, the distillery business has kept the enterprise financially viable. The managing director highlighted the company's incentives for farmers to expand sugarcane cultivation, looking towards a sustainable future for the historic establishment.