Dhaka: Bangladesh can reap huge benefits if measures are taken to ensure proper domestic use and exports of the vast untapped mineral resources, rough value of which is expected to be more than US$2.26 trillion. If adequate efforts are made to explore and extract the resources which are stored mainly in the country’s 16 districts, these can be a major source of foreign exchange earnings along with ensuring domestic energy security, according to the Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB).
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the GSB’s report outlines that in the 16 districts of the country, there are 10 types of mineral resources: coal, peat, hard rock, ordinary stone or sand mixed stone, silica sand, plain soil, mineral sand, limestone, metallic minerals, and iron ore. “The estimated roughly value of country’s naturally stored mineral resources is more than US$2.26 trillion, equivalent to Tk 241.97 trillion,” says the GSB, the country’s lone public entity working on exploring and extracting natural resou
rces.
“Initiatives are very minimal to explore and extract the valuable mineral resources mainly sands in the offshore area and in the rivers including coastal areas of Cox’s Bazar, Jamuna River, and Brahmaputra River,” said Bureau of Mineral Development (BMD) Assistant Director Md. Mahfuzur Rahman. He highlighted that significant mineral resources discovered in the country so far include coal, hard rock, ordinary stone or sand mixed stone, silica sand, and plain soil. However, despite the potential, the initiatives to extract these resources are not enough.
GSB officials explained that the financial value of the discovered mineral resources is essentially a conceptual number based on the reserves. They noted that feasibility studies are necessary to obtain actual data and ideas about the size of mineral resources and their accurate financial value as per the existing market price. GSB Director Md. Ali Akbar emphasized the need for more investigations and research to have a clearer idea about the mineral re
sources, which could enable budgetary allocation for the sector’s development.
The GSB faces challenges due to a shortage of sophisticated equipment and transport, which affects its research and exploration activities. There are 7,803 million tons of coal stored in five coal mines discovered by GSB, but coal is currently being extracted only from the Barapukuria coal mine. Feasibility studies for Dighipara and Khalashpir coal fields have been completed, but the Jamalganj coal field presents extraction challenges due to its depth.
Other mineral resources include significant reserves of peat coal, limestone, hard rock, plain soil, glass sand, gravel, and iron ore. The richest districts in terms of mineral resources include Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Joypurhat, Netrokona, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Cox’s Bazar, Comilla, Bandarban, and Khagrachari. Each district hosts various mineral deposits, with some offering potential for future extraction and development
.
Md. Mahfuzur Rahman, BMD Deputy Director, pointed out the potential for mineral resources in the hilly regions, suggesting that more studies are needed to identify the types of minerals present. He also highlighted the economic contributions of ordinary sand, which generates substantial revenue every year. The country possesses large limestone reserves, particularly in Naogaon, and other regions also have significant limestone deposits.
The GSB and BMD continue to advocate for increased efforts and investments in the exploration and extraction of Bangladesh’s mineral resources, which hold immense potential for contributing to the country’s economic and energy security.