Handa to invest $250m in Bangladesh, create 25,000 jobs

Handa Industries Co, a Hong Kong-based textile and apparel chain, has announced that it will invest $250 million in Bangladesh.

Chairman Han Chun, chairman of the company, announced the plan as he met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Handa had initially planned to invest $150 million in Bangladesh’s textile sector and signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh authorities during the Bangladesh Investment Summit in April 2025.

Following further assessments and with strong support from Bangladesh authorities, Handa has since increased its investment plan to approximately $250 million.

The company has now decided to set up three factories in Bangladesh—two garment processing and one knitting and dyeing unit, which are expected to create 25,000 jobs.

“We decided to increase our investment as we got confidence after talks with the officials of government agencies, including BIDA (Bangladesh Investment Development Authority), BEZA (Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority) and BEPZA (Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority),” said Han Chun.

“We would like to bring the latest technologies to Bangladesh’s garment and textiles industries through our projects,” he said.

BIDA, BEZA and BEPZA officials said this is one of largest single Chinese investments in Bangladesh’s textile sector.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus welcomed the investment plan of Handa Industries Ltd. “You take the leadership in Chinese investment in Bangladesh’s textile sector and encourage other Chinese investors to come here,” he said.

He also urged Handa Industries Ltd. to train Bangladeshi designers to enable them to learn the taste of buyers.

Han Chun presented the Chief Adviser with a design of their factory that they are going to set up in the Mirsarai economic zone. “It looks like a beautiful painting to me,” said the Chief Adviser, hailing the design.

The land lease agreement for the garment factory in Mirsarai will be signed on Wednesday with an investment value of $80 million in phase-1.

The finalisation of land and other facilities for phase-2 is under process now and is expected to be finished by the end of 2025.

BIDA executive chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud bin Harun, Principal Secretary Md Siraj Uddin Miah, principal coordinator for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Lamiya Morshed, BEPZA executive chairman Abul Kalam Mohammad Ziaur Rahman, and Handa Industries Ltd. President Heng Zeli were present at the meeting.