Bhutan - མོ་ཏང་གནའ་ཡར་བཀོལ་པ།
Motanga Industrial Park, a Bhutanese government initiative, strategically situated near the Indian border, is poised to serve as a magnet for small to medium-sized industries primarily geared towards export-oriented operations.
Regrettably, as of May 2023, the industrial parks, namely Jigmeling and Motanga, with a combined capacity of 75 industries, have witnessed limited operational success, with only nine industries currently functional. The park, specifically, designed to accommodate 30 industries, presently hosts a mere seven operational ones.
Encompassing a sprawling 155.856-acre expanse, Motanga Industrial Park boasts an allocable area of 82.8 acres, welcoming up to 30 industries, including four Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) ventures.
Master plan for Motanga Industrial Park
The park’s master plan delineates three distinct industrial zones: mineral and chemical-based, forest and wood-based, and food and agro-based. The latter category further bifurcates into food and agro-based industries and services and other industries. This division caters to services and miscellaneous industries that may not align with the former three zones.
Significantly, the 27.11-acre allocation for mineral and chemical-based industries has already been allotted to 14 promoters, with land allotment orders and industry licenses in various stages of processing. This may address concerns raised regarding land allocation for this specific category.
Among the 30 allocable plots, 16 are currently under construction, three are navigating licensing procedures, and one awaits a Land Lease Certificate from the National Land Commission Secretariat (NLCS).
Upon closer scrutiny, the industrial landscape within the park predominantly comprises small-scale industries, with a notable presence of large-scale and cottage-scale enterprises.
Limited occupancy at Motanga Industrial Park
The park shares a common challenge with Jigmeling Industrial Park: low occupancy rates. Ten vacant plots across ten acres are awaiting potential businesses. The Industrial Park Management Division intends to expedite the leasing process to invigorate industrial activities in the region.
Interestingly, while the park is open to various business ventures, it is not conducive to mineral and chemical-based industries. Despite receiving 14 proposals for such establishments, nearly 28 acres of the 155-acre industrial complex remain unutilized.
Motanga Industrial Park, nestled in Samdrupjongkhar, spans a substantial 156 acres and boasts the distinction of being the only park in Bhutan exclusively funded by the Bhutanese government. In the 11th Five-Year Plan (FYP), the park secured a significant budget allocation of Nu 100 million to fuel its industrial development.
Notably, in 2021, His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, undertook a visit to the Motanga Industrial Park, located in close proximity to the Bhutan-India border area. This visit coincided with the completion of a new oxygen production plant at Motanga, reinforcing Bhutan’s commitment to support India in combating the COVID-19 pandemic by providing essential oxygen supplies from its burgeoning production facilities.
Azista Bhutan Healthcare Limited is setting up a full-fledged pharmaceutical plant at Motanga Industrial Park, Samdrup Jongkhar to manufacture, package and distribute a wide range of prescription medicines under the brand Azista Bhutan. Such a facility would be first of its kind in Bhutan that would manufacture, package and distribute allopathic drugs
Additional Details
- Total area: 156 acres
- Key industrial sectors: Mineral and chemical based – forest and wood based – food and agro based
- Tenants: Azista Bhutan Healthcare Limited