Architectural coatings in Bangladesh and Nepal

Indian companies play a dominant role in the architectural coating segment in both the countries. In particular, India’s largest paint and coatings producer Asian Paints has set up manufacturing units in both the countries. Domestic companies in both the countries have also made steady progress during the last few years.

Huge population, healthy population growth rates, low urbanisation and current low per capita consumption of architectural paints in both the countries will act as major demand drivers for the growth of architectural coating industry in both the countries in the medium and long term.

Bangladesh

With a population of nearly 170M, Bangladesh is the third most populated country in the South Asia region. The country is also the third largest architectural paint market in the region. Steady construction activities during last two decades, changing preferences and shorter repainting cycles have driven the demand of architectural coatings in the country during last few years.  Currently, nearly 50 companies operate in the sector in the country. Berger Paints Bangladesh is the market leader in Bangladesh Paints industry.

According to Bangladesh Paint Manufacturers Association (BPMA)  annual production of decorative paints is estimated at around 240,000t. Berger Paints holds the majority or some 54% of the market, followed by Asian Paints with 18% and Kansai Nerolac with 7%. Besides this, Elite Paints is holding some 6% market share, Rainbow Paints 4%, Nippon Paints 3% and and Roxy Paints 1.4%.

Bangladesh’s paint & coating market has attracted some of the leading international paint & coating producers in recent years. Japanese Kansai Paint invested US$7M or Tk572.6M in 2018 for a 55% stake in  RAK Paints through its Indian subsidiary Kansai Nerolac Paints. Berger paints has entered into three new ventures with leading international companies.

The country’s largest paint producer, Berger paints is setting up a new manufacturing plant in Mirsarai Economic Zone. Jotun Bangladesh, another foreign company, began production in its factory in Meghna Industrial economic zone in 2022.

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The country’s second largest paint and coatings producer, Asian Paints has constructed its second production plant in the country. The company has its manufacturing plants in Gazipur and Mirsarai and sells across the country

According to the company’s Country Head Budhaditya Mukherjee, “Asian Paints has been growing its market share since the beginning of its journey in the country in 2002. Paint industry in general faced a number of challenges in recent years, including US dollar appreciation, Ukraine-Russia war, and COVID-19 pandemic. All these factors had a negative impact on the growth of architectural paint segment. However, we are hopeful that the worst is over and Bangladesh’s architectural paint segment is expected to show great momentum in the short and medium term.”

Nepal

A huge upswing in construction activities during the last decade has provided a major boost to the consumption of architectural coating products in Nepal. The unfortunate earthquake of 2015 has kickstarted construction revolution of a kind in the country. Huge tourism opportunities in the country has also fuelled a construction boom in the country, driving the demand for architectural paint products.

Company	Manufacturing Location
Apollo Paints Pvt Ltd	Bharatpur
Asian Paints Nepal	Hetauda Industrial Estate
Baba Paints Nepal Ltd	Biratnagar
Berger Johnson & Nichlson Nepal	Hetauda Industrial Estate
Mahalaxmi Paint Industries	Bhaktapur
Pushupati Paint Industries	Biratnagar
Rukmani Chemical Industries	Gokaraneshwar
Reliance Paints	Jorpati
Tirupati Balaji Paints & Chemical	Koteswor
Rukmani Chemical Industries	Gokaraneshwar
Yeti Paint Industries	Hetauda

Table: Leading architectural paint producers in Nepal

Currently, 20 mid and small scale producers dominate the Nepalese architectural paint industry. Indian companies have a strong manufacturing and trading presence in the country. India’s largest paint and coatings producer Asian Paints is one of the major producers of architectural paint products.

Existing architectural paint producers in Nepal can take comfort from the fact that the paint industry in the country is insulated from cheaper imports with duty safeguards and a substantial freight cost (Nepal being a landlocked country) involved in the import of paints.

Satya Prakash, CEO of Berger (J&N) Nepal says, “Over the years, we have received a fabulous response and support from our customers. The two decades long smooth journey has made Berger a household name in Nepal for decorative, luminous and eco-friendly paints. “It’s been a fantastic journey for us being among the top-ranked companies engaged in manufacturing and marketing of a variety of architectural coatings in Nepal. We have luxury and premium emulsion products to fulfill the demand of quality conscious customers. These products contribute over 70% of our business. We also cater to value for money products with quality and service in mind.”

Indian company Asian Paints operates one of the largest paint manufacturing units in Nepal. The company has been operating in Nepal since 1983.  In May 2021, the company doubled its installed capacity to 100,000t/yr. Enhanced production capacity has helped it to garner sizeable economies of scale and supports its leading position in the market.