A social business joint venture between the world’s leading chemical company BASF and the Grameen Healthcare Trust called BASF Grameen Limited announced yesterday that it will manufacture long lasting insecticide impregnated nets under the brand name Interceptor® to prevent malaria infections effectively. BASF Grameen Limited will market the products sourced from a local production plant in Social Business Industrial Park, which is owned by Grameen Fabrics & Fashions Limited, in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh.
In his opening remarks at the plant’s inauguration, Professor Yunus said, “Social business is a non-dividend company to solve a specific social problem. We are very happy that BASF, a major global company, has come forward to set up a social business in Bangladesh to reduce the incidence of malaria in Bangladesh. This joint-venture will inspire other companies to come forward to create social business. I invite every company, big or small, to create a small social business company along with their existing company.”
Health hazards from malaria remain a serious concern in Bangladesh yet it is preventable and curable in most places. The Interceptor® nets are specially treated mosquito nets that are coated with a BASF product, the insecticide Fendona®, and will kill mosquitoes and other bugs within 20 minutes of coming into contact. The net remains effective against mosquitoes for several years and can retain their properties for up to 20 washes. They meet the World Health Organization requirements for a “Long lasting insecticide impregnated net” (LLIN).
According to The Daily Star, the nets are already available across the country and cost Tk 650 to 700 each. Production capacity is improving and the plant can currently make up to 3,000 nets a day.
One of the plant’s three units will be dedicated to export for other countries interested in the product.
BASF Grameen Limited was formed in 2009 to improve the health and business opportunities of the poor in Bangladesh. The Interceptor® mosquito nets are the first product of this venture which aims to reduce insect-borne diseases, thus contributing to achieve key U. N. Millennium Development Goals related to health.
Photo from Yunus Centre.