The active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) industrial park began in 2008 on 200 acres of land in Munshiganj district. The park was built under the public-private initiative with the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI). The government has now started the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) industrial park, which promises to propel Bangladesh to the next stage as a drug exporter. The Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation, the developer of the park for API or pharmaceutical raw materials, has already invited applications from local companies for plots in the industrial enclave. The deadline for applications is March 27. The production of API will not only ensure self-sufficiency but will also offer price competitiveness in the global market. Being a least-developed country, Bangladesh has been exempted from the obligations to implement patents and data protection for pharmaceutical products. The government has so far spent Tk 189.46 crore on the park. They are now be able to make the patented drugs and their raw materials and export them.