The Nitol-Niloy Group yesterday launched its new commercial vehicle, the TATA Super ACE, to facilitate business activities in rural Bangladesh.
Manufactured by the Indian automotive manufacturing company TATA Motors, the vehicle has a full one-tone loading capacity and comes with compact dimensions for ease of navigation in narrow and busy roads.
“We are pitching this vehicle to be the 'agriproduct-hauler' of our country,” said, Abdul Matlub Ahmad, chairman of the Nitol-Niloy Group, adding that the vehicle will sell at Tk 11-12 lakh.
“Nitol-Niloy believes that the country can develop faster if the villages are made self-sufficient and villagers get the right price for their produce, which would only be possible if the villagers are mobile and can shop around.”
“We proposed that each village will have at least four vehicles. We will give easy finance and they will pay as they earn on a weekly basis,” Ahmed said.
Furthermore, he urged the government to extend cheaper loans from Krishi Bank to purchase the vehicle.
“Tata Super Ace will promote the rural economies based on agriculture,” said Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu at its launch at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka.
The farmers are struggling to market their agriculture produce and that they are not getting the fair price for them.
“We should develop our regional communication system with villages for the purpose of connecting the rural areas to the mainstream economy,” he said, adding that the government has already developed 84,000 km of road to connect the rural areas to the cities.
With regards to the Indo-Bangladesh relationship, he said in the time of globalisation regionalism is the key to survival.
“Communication through road and train between the two countries should be opened for the interest of the economy.”
Meanwhile, Sandeep Chakravorty, the acting high commissioner of India, said: “We are enhancing our relation by way of investment. It will not be just a buyer-seller relationship.”
“Indian companies will invest in Bangladesh to accelerate the export volume as the country gets duty-free access to many countries,” Chakravorty said.
Regarding the vehicle, he said considering its quality and price it will be useful for business activities.
Rudrarup Maitra, the South Asian regional head of TATA Motors, said Bangladesh is the fourth largest market for the company.
The vehicle, which has already been launched in South Africa, Sri Lanka and Thailand, are manufactured to meet international standards, said Maitra.