Executive Summery

Natural resources of Bangladesh, it is our discussing topic. We collected data

from internet and analyzed it to find out the scenario of the natural resources
that Bangladesh has. We analyzed the objects particularly to show the present
and view. The report shows the major and non major resources. Utilization of
the resources is also shown in this report. We tried to highlight on the major
resources of Bangladesh. Information of the environmental resources like sea,
land, forest is also shown in our report.

Introduction
Natural resources (economically referred to as land or raw materials) occur
naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a
natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of
biodiversity existent in various ecosystems.
Natural resources are derived from the environment. Many of them are essential
for our survival while others are used for satisfying our wants. Natural resources
may be further classified in different ways.
The principal resources of Bangladesh are the fertile soils of the delta region,
the long growing season, and the heavy rainfall suitably distributed over the
year for growing rice and jute. The nation's abundant water supplies are used to
produce hydroelectric power and for irrigating farmlands during the dry season.
Although minerals have traditionally been economically unimportant, the
country has large reserves of natural gas and some petroleum deposits. Natural
gas is piped into Dhaka and Chittagong for industrial use.
I must add that Bangladesh's natural resource is huge in terms of low-cost
artisans, sea-farers and empowered women with tailoring skills. There are also
huge deposit of coal in jamalpur and boropukuria. Her reverie and coaster fish
and sea food resource base is very substantial. All these including the fertile soil
is as yet untapped/ underutilized in terms of potential production and more
importantly productivity growth due to lack of adequate investments,
inadequate opening up to foreign investments, land reforms besides political
instability, terrorism and corruption

Objective of the Report

As business executive in future, we should need to gather knowledge about own
country and its resources. We should not concern our lesson only in classroom
but to implement it in practically that will help us in our future life. A clear
objective helps to prepare a well-decorated report in which others take the right
type of decision. Similarly our honorable course teacher Mr. Sujahangir gives us
an assignment. The main purpose of the report is to know the natural resources
of Bangladesh. Although, it is seems to be very difficult to get our needed
information from internet. However, we try our best to get our essential
information to fill the objective of the report. And to reach or to achieve desired
goal; the main objectives of the repot are following
.To know the major natural resources.
.To know the non major resources
To calculate the amount of resource.
To determine the condition of resources.
To enrich knowledge about the different category of resources of
Bangladesh.

The Limitation of the Study

No work in the world is complete without limitations. The study we made have
some limitations. In spite of having some limitation we all have tried our best to
fulfill our report. In preparing the report the limitation we found are as follows

i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

The scope of collecting required data was insufficient.

The absence of proper internet connection.
In some cases recent changes in data was not found.
Exact information may not be got from the data collecting action.

Methodology

Browsing Net

It is very much relevant that a partial job is done by following methods. As we

tried to make a rational report we have followed the proper methods to perform
our job. Every study is done on the basis of primary data and secondary data.
Our presented report is related with primary data because for making this report
we collected information from internet. Basically, we have tried to make this
report by following the information we have collected through browsing
Planning
Analyzing Data
internet.
Reporting
Some specific steps have been taken by us to prepare this report. At first we
have planned about the overall study. We chose the sites that we may browse.
Then we have analyzed these data by group working. After that we have tried to
make a report on a comparative study about the natural resources of
Bangladesh. Here the process is given below:

Figure: The reporting process

SECTION: 1
ABOUT NATURAL RESOURCES OF
BANGLADESH

CLASSIFICATION
NATURAL RESOURCES

Classification of natural resource

On the basis of origin, resources may be divided into:

Biotic - Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere, such as forests and their
products, animals, birds and their products, fish and other marine organisms. Mineral
fuels such as coal and petroleum are also included in this category because they
formed from decayed organic matter.

A biotic - A biotic resources comprise of non-living things. Examples include land,

water, air and ores such as gold, iron, copper, silver etc.

Considering their stage of development, natural resources may be referred to in the following
ways:

Potential Resources - Potential resources are those that exist in a region and may be
used in the future. For example, petroleum may exist in many parts of India, having
sedimentary rocks but until the time it is actually drilled out and put into use, it
remains a potential resource.

Actual Resources are those that have been surveyed, their quantity and quality
determined and are being used in present times. The development of an actual
resource, such as wood processing depends upon the technology available and the
cost involved. That part of the actual resource that can be developed profitably with
available technology is called a reserve.

With respect to renewability, natural resources can be categorized as follows:

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Renewable resources are ones that can be replenished or reproduced easily. Some of
them, like sunlight, air, wind, etc., are continuously available and their quantity is not
affected by human consumption. Many renewable resources can be depleted by
human use, but may also be replenished, thus maintaining a flow. Some of these, like
agricultural crops, take a short time for renewal; others, like water, take a
comparatively longer time, while still others, like forests, take even longer.

Non-renewable resources are formed over very long geological periods. Minerals and
fossils are included in this category. Since their rate of formation is extremely slow,
they cannot be replenished once they get depleted. Of these, the metallic minerals can
be re-used by recycling them. But coal and petroleum cannot be recycled.

Examples
Some examples of natural resources include the following:

Coal, fossil fuels, rock and mineral resources

Forestry

Range and pasture

Soils

Water, ponds, oceans, lakes, groundwater and rivers

Natural resources of Bangladesh

The principal resources of Bangladesh are the fertile soils of the delta region, the long
growing season, and the heavy rainfall suitably distributed over the year for growing rice and
jute. The nation's abundant water supplies are used to produce hydroelectric power and for
irrigating farmlands during the dry season. Although minerals have traditionally been
economically unimportant, the country has large reserves of natural gas and some petroleum
deposits. Natural gas is piped into Dhaka and Chittagong for industrial use. There are also
large deposits of low grade coal, mined at Jamalpur. We must add that Bangladeshs natural
resource is huge in terms of low cost artisans, sea-farers and empowered woman with
tailoring skills. Her rieieverine and costal fish and sea food resource base is substantial. all
these including the fertile soil is as yet underutilized in terms of potential production and
more importantly productivity growth due to lack of adequate investment, inadequate
opening up to foreign investments. There are several types of natural resources in
Bangladesh, such as mining resources (gas, oil, coal etc.), traditional resources. The energy
sources of Bangladesh are given below in a pie8chart:-

Energy Sources In Bangladesh

12
18
70
30

SECTION:2
MINING RESOURCES
GAS
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 COAL
OIL

Natural Gas
Natural gas reserve estimates vary widely for Bangladesh. Oil & Gas Journal (OGJ) reported
that Bangladesh had 5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven natural gas reserves as of January
2008, down significantly from OGJs January 2007 estimate of 10.6 Tcf. It is not clear why
the large downgrade of Bangladeshs natural gas reserves occurred. In mid-2004, estimates
from state-owned Petrobangla put net proven reserves at 15.3 Tcf. Bangladeshs Ministry of
Finance estimated in 2004 that the country holds 28.4 Tcf of total gas reserves, of which 20.5
Tcf is recoverable. In June 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that Bangladesh
contains 32.1 Tcf of additional undiscovered reserves.
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While estimates of the countrys reserves vary, natural gas is Bangladeshs only significant
source of commercial energy. The government of Bangladesh estimates that natural gas
accounts for 80 percent of the countrys commercial energy consumption. In 2004,
Bangladesh produced 463 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas, up from 429 Bcf in 2003 and
more than doubling the 1994 level. Despite increasing production levels, Bangladesh has
never been a net exporter of natural gas. Given the uncertain size of the countrys natural gas
reserves, the government has been reluctant to export natural gas and has instead focused on
meeting current and future domestic energy needs.

FIG: Gas fields of Bangladesh

Year

Unit

Year

Unit

2002-03

421.16

2005-06

526.72

2003-04

454.59

2006-07

562.22

2004-05

486.75
TABLE: last 5 years collection

Exploration and Production

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Natural gas exploration and production is dominated by three state-owned companies, all of
which are subsidiaries of Petrobangla. Bangladeshs largest gas production company,
Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Ltd. (BGFCL), operates the Sylhet, Kailashtila MSTE,
Kailashtia, Rashidpur, and Beanibazar gas fields. From these five fields, BGFCL produces
810 million cubic feet per day (Mmcf/d), or roughly half of the countrys total natural gas
production. The Sylhet Gas Field Company Ltd. (SGFCL) is Bangladeshs second largest
production company, producing 162 Mmcf/d of natural gas. SGFCL operates the Sylhet,
Kailashtila MSTE, Kailashtia, Rashidpur, and Beanibazar gas fields. The third state-owned
company involved in natural gas production and exploration is BAPEX, which produces
about 58 Mmcf/d of natural gas from the Salda and Fenchuganj fields.
To encourage natural gas exploration, the government opened the natural gas sector to foreign
investment in 1993, after initiating the First Bidding Round of Production Sharing Contracts.
Foreign companies today produce 501 Mmcf/d of natural gas from four gas fields. The
leading foreign producer is Chevron, which produces 331 Mmcf/d from the Jalalabad and
Moulavibazar fields. Chevron also expects to begin producing an estimated 300 Mmcf/d of
natural gas from the Bibiana field in October 2006. The UKs Cairn Energy is the second
largest foreign natural gas production company, producing 146 Mmcf/d of natural gas from
Bangladeshs lone offshore gas field at Sangu. Canadas Niko Resources has been involved in
disputes with the government after two blowouts that occurred in 2005 at the companys
Chattak (formerly known as Tengratila) gas field.
There are several other fields that may prove to hold additional natural gas resources.
Petrobangla estimates that the Bibiana field, currently operated by Chevron, may contain as
much as 2.4 Tcf in recoverable natural gas reserves. Offshore natural gas fields also present
large possible reserves, although minimal offshore exploration has occurred to date due to
lingering border disputes with India and Myanmar

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Coal
Bangladesh has small coal reserves, and has consumed little coal in the past. Bangladesh
began commercial coal production in April 2003 with the opening of the Barapukuria Coal
Mine, which is expected to produce one million short tons of coal per year (Mmst/y),
principally for electricity generation. This mine is being used to fuel the 250-MW
Barapukuria Coal-Fired Power Plant in Parbotipur, which began commercial operation in
January 2006. Another possible coal mining project at Khalashpir is under consideration as
well.
Despite Bangladeshs small reserves, the government has recently promoted the development
of coal to ease its reliance on natural gas for power generation. Bangladeshs coal reserves
have so far not been developed, mainly owing to a lack of domestic financing. To attract
investment, the government has opened the coal sector to foreign bidding. Although estimates
vary, Bangladeshs Energy Ministry judges that the country has up to 2.7 billion short tons of
high-quality coal reserves. According to the latest Energy Information Administration (EIA)
figures, in 2004 Bangladesh has no domestic coal reserves or production. The government is
currently crafting a new national coal policy that will govern foreign involvement in
Bangladeshs coal sector. Some analysts anticipate the new coal policy will hike the royalty
rate on coal projects from 6 percent to 16 percent and place limits on coal exports from the
country, among other guidelines.
In July 2005, UK-based Asia Energy Corp. (AEC) submitted a proposal to develop a coal
mine in Bangladeshs Phulbari region. According to a Scheme of Development and
Feasibility Study submitted to the government, AEC declares that the Phulbari site contains
an estimated 572 million short tons of recoverable coal reserves. The initial investment in the
project would be $1.4 billion, and the open-pit mine is expected to produce 15 Mmst/y of
coal to fuel a planned 500-megawatt power station. AEC is awaiting formal approval from
the government, which has declared that it will not approve any new coal development
projects until its new coal policy is enacted. AEC also faces a number of other obstacles in
gaining approval for the project. According to the Feasibility Study submitted by Asia
Energy, up to 40,000 people would gradually be relocated away from the Phulbari area that
currently live on or near the planned mining locations.

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Oil
According to Oil & Gas Journal (OGJ), Bangladesh has 28 million barrels of proven oil
reserves as of January 2008, down from 56 million barrels in 2007. The country produced an
estimated 4,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil in 2005, flat from the previous year.
Bangladeshs relatively low level of domestic reserves and production capacity make it a net
oil importer, as the country consumed an estimated 91,000 bbl/d of oil in 2005.

Exploration and Production

To date oil exploration has been rather unsuccessful in Bangladesh, with most companies
choosing to focus instead on the countrys plentiful natural gas reserves. Exploration and
production activities are primarily carried out by the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and
Production Company (BAPEX), a subsidiary of the state-owned Bangladesh Oil, Gas &
Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla). However, the country has also initiated several
Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) with foreign oil companies and has employed tax
incentives to attract foreign company involvement.
In 1993, after the formation of a new National Energy policy, the government of Bangladesh
divided its territory and offshore sites into 23 blocks and opened them to foreign bidding for
oil and gas exploration. During the First Bidding Round in 1993, eight blocks were awarded
to four companies through PSCs. In 1997 during the Second Bidding Round, three PSCs were
awarded covering four additional blocks. The government planned to hold a third round of
bidding focusing on the offshore Bay of Bengal region in 2006, but it has so far been delayed.
Before new bidding is opened, the government will complete a geological and seismic survey
to identify potential exploration sites. Bangladesh must also accurately mark its deep sea
territory and settle ongoing maritime border disputes with India and Myanmar.

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15

SECTION: 3
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
LAND
FOREST
COASTAL/WATER
RESOURCE

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LAND
The total area of Bangladesh is 1, 47,570 sq.km. Total fertile land is 14.85 million hector
and. Total Cultivated Area 17.77 million acres, Cultivated Area per Household is 1.5 acres,
Cropping Intensity (1996-97) 174% and Irrigation Area 8.59 million acres.
Our staple food rice comes from this land energy source. Other economy related crops are
playing vital role in countries national development.
Bangladesh has gained a huge development in cultivation and irrigation process by following
international methods and techniques. Now at present we are losing our traditional and fertile
land by the recent govt. approach of industrialization. Here in this case govt. should take
proper measure to save our principle natural energy source.

FOREST
Bangladesh is a country with beautiful mangrove and natural forestay resource. Total forest
area is 25 million hector. The biggest forest is Sundarban with 5575 sq. km. More than 60%
demand of our fuel wood are met by are forest. Forest contributes 1.89% to our national
income. According to Bangladeshs geography forest are divided into four types, such as
1.Hilly forest 2.Natural mangrove forest 3.Plain shal forest 4.Rural forest. The amount of
hilly forest is 12000 sq.km, mangrove forest is 7412 sq.km, and shal forest is 1214 sq.km,
rural forest is 2711 sq.km. Forest resources are being used in different sectors of Bangladesh
such as paper mills, match factories etc. Among the forests Sundarban has declared as the
world heritage by UNESCO.
One country should have minimum 25% forest area to maintain the ecological balance.
Bangladesh has only 10% of forest area. This is a thinkable matter to us. Forestry resources
are very much important to our economy. To save our economy and keep the ecology stable
forestry resources should be kept in order.
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COASTAL/WATER RESOURCE
Water resources are a great part of the natural resources of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a river
based country, so water resources are a vital concept for the people of this country. Constant
level of water supply is very important for our economy. At present arsenic pollution is a
threat for our water source though preventive measures have been taken by the govt. in this
case. The amount of water resource is shown in the text below:Internal Renewable Water Resources (IRWR),19772001, in cubic km
Surface water produced internally
Groundwater Recharge
and surface water)
(surface water + groundwater - overlap)
Per capita IRWR, 2001 (cubic meters)

18

Bangladesh
84
21
0
105
732

Findings of the Report

Every study which is conducted has some findings which are very interesting
implications of the study. So, our present study conducted on Natural resources
of Bangladesh has also some interesting implications which are as follows:
Bangladesh has a huge amount of natural resource which is very
beneficial and efficient for our economy.
Our major resources are losing grip because of industrialization approach
by govt. of Bangladesh.
As a developing country, Bangladesh emphasizes on proper collection of
the sources.
Bangladesh has many energy sectors which are used in forwarding our
export business.
There are many problems in collecting the output of the sources.
Bangladesh has a great attendance of foreign companies but they should
be observed by government Officially.

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Recommendations
After completing the report on Natural resources of Bangladesh we are in
position to recommend the following implications:
Thrusting sources like oil, coal, should be handled more carefully.
Government should provide more budgets on energy sectors.
Gas, coal and other efficient sectors should be observed and operated
more consciously.

The necessarily omits many items that are of financial value to the economy but
cannot be recorded objectively. So, govt. should give proper concern to make
their concept sharper about the natural energy sources.

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Conclusion
The government of Bangladesh to maintain the energy sources by the help of
foreign companies by their technical support. But our govt. can use modified
procedure to keep this sources stable and more beneficial. By watching the
gradual performance by govt. it is very tough to determine something but we are
clear in our concept about the future of the natural sources. We have operated
our study on a simple way to know the amount of resource and their
condition .we can say that our study is completed as we hope. We prepare our
report as a man can get enough idea about the natural resources of Bangladesh
by reading our report.

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References
1. . Natural Resources". U.S. Geological Survey.
http://www.usgs.gov/themes/resource.html. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
2. M. E. Soul and B. A. Wilcox. 1980. Conservation Biology: An
Evolutionary-Ecological Perspective. Sinauer Associatess. Sunderland,
Massachusetts.
3. M. E. Soule. (1986). what is conservation Biology? BioScience, 35(11):
727-734
4. Soule, Michael E. (1986). Conservation Biology: The Science of Scarcity
and Diversity. Sinauer Associates. pp. 584. ISBN
5. Government of Bangladesh, 1995, National Energy Policy, Ministry of
Energy and Mineral
6. Resources, Dhaka.
7. Government of Bangladesh, 1997a, Fifth Five Year Plan: 1997 2002,
Dhaka.
8. Government of Bangladesh, ca. 1997b, Petroleum Exploration
Opportunities in Bangladesh,
9. Dhaka.
10.Government of Bangladesh, 1999, Booklet, untitled 72-page booklet
published by Ministry

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