Uttara Export Processing Zone, Export processing zone in Nilphamari, Bangladesh

The Uttara Export Processing Zone is an industrial area in the Shongalshi area near Nilphamari in northern Bangladesh. The site contains many plots set aside for factories and production facilities, making it one of the larger industrial locations in this part of the country.

Bangladesh opened this zone in 2001, making it the seventh export processing zone established in the country. It was set up in a region that had little industrial infrastructure at the time, with the aim of drawing manufacturing investment to the north.

The zone's name, Uttara, means "north" in Bengali, and it is also called Nilphamari EPZ after the town beside it. It is Bangladesh's only agro-based export processing zone. Around 40,000 people work in its factories, and about 95 percent of them are local residents; average daily earnings in the area rose from 40 taka or less before the zone to 280–320 taka.

The site sits in a rural area and is mainly open for commercial and industrial purposes, so it is worth contacting the relevant authority before visiting. Access to parts of the zone may be restricted, and a general visit is not the same as entering an active factory.

Although the zone is far from major cities, international companies such as Evergreen Products Factory and Ventura Leatherware have chosen to set up manufacturing operations here. This makes it a rare case of a globally connected production site in a remote rural corner of Bangladesh.