National Tea Company Limited, a publicly traded entity, has announced new subscription dates for its Tk279.7 crore placement shares. Originally slated for nearly a year ago, the subscription had been postponed by regulatory authorities but is now set to proceed following a recent court directive.
According to the company’s disclosure, the subscription period will run from June 19 to August 19 during banking hours. This follows a letter from the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) instructing the resumption of the capital-raising initiative, in compliance with a High Court order.
The primary objective of issuing these placement shares is to fuel business growth, finance working capital, and repay bank loans. However, due to a funding shortfall, the company has been unable to complete its modernization projects and other initiatives, resulting in decreased turnover caused by declining average sale prices in the auction market for its products.
Following the court’s directive, significant progress has been made in implementing the state-owned company’s plans.
In July of the previous year, Jakir Hossain Sarkar, a minor shareholder with just 10 National Tea shares, filed a writ petition with the High Court opposing the company’s scheme to issue fresh shares as approved by the BSEC, alleging unequal treatment of existing shareholders. The court later upheld the BSEC’s approval. Upon a petition by the market regulator, the Appellate Division’s chamber judge temporarily stayed the High Court’s order.
Shareholders have borne the brunt of these legal battles. After the record date, the price of National Tea shares dropped in anticipation of the increased number of shares, and the issuance of placement shares remained uncertain.
In April last year, National Tea received BSEC approval to raise its paid-up capital by issuing 2.34 crore shares at Tk119.53 each, inclusive of a Tk109.53 premium per share. The distribution plan allocated 1.24 crore shares to the government, Investment Corporation of Bangladesh, and Sadharan Bima Corporation at an average ratio of 4.43 new shares for each existing share. Sponsor-directors were allocated 13.8 lakh shares at a ratio of 3.21:1, and general shareholders were to receive nearly 96 lakh shares at a 2.85:1 ratio.
As of Wednesday, National Tea shares closed at Tk388.60 each on the Dhaka Stock Exchange. Founded in 1978 and listed on the capital market in 1979, National Tea cultivates, manufactures, and sells tea and rubber in the local market. The company’s average annual production is about 52 lakh kg of tea, most of which is sold through the Chattogram auction market.
