Our target is to export devices by 2022, and to that end, we are in a process to set up two new plants,” Jakaria, also the general secretary of the BMPIA, said.

Vivo and Oppo opened their plants in the second half of 2019 soon after the government increased import duties for smartphones to 57 per cent from 32 per cent.

Before that, tax benefits offered in the budgets of fiscal 2016-17 and 2017-18 encouraged brands to go for local manufacturing.

Chinese brands Xiaomi and Huawei now face high taxes as they have no plants in Bangladesh, which is why they are planning to set up factories in the country, said market insiders.

Three other brands -- 5-Star, Winstar and Lava -- have also their plants in Bangladesh.

Both Transsion and Symphony are mulling over opening plants to manufacture mobile accessories, which is seeing a rising demand.

At the end of last year, Bangladesh’s active mobile connections stood at 16.64 crore.