Jagaran Chakma

Locally manufactured air conditioners (ACs) are starting to dominate the domestic market as consumers are pleased to be getting good quality cooling systems at reasonable prices.

Around 62 per cent of Japanese companies in Bangladesh expect to turn a profit in 2023 even though the country’s macroeconomic situation is currently unstable, according to a survey of the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro).

Bangladesh has cut its reliance on the global markets for lifesaving vaccines as a number of local manufacturers are producing quality jabs, saving a significant volume of foreign currencies, industry people say.  

With sugar currently retailing for as much as Tk 140 per kilogramme (kg), production at mills of the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) has hit a 23-year low due to reduced supply of sugarcane.

Workplace safety in the RMG sector improved to a great extent. However, the safety and compliance in the non-RMG sectors are yet to improve as per the standards of the garment sector.

It was 11.45 pm on Tuesday. Shopping malls and markets usually remain shut at this hour of the day. But, the bustling shopping district for clothing and lifestyle items in the Mirpur-1 area was abuzz with shoppers.

Demand for air conditioners (ACs) has increased significantly as people rushed to retailers for respite from the ongoing heatwave sweeping across the country.

The demand for air conditioners has increased 25 per cent year-on-year

The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) chief has voiced its opposition to the apex trade body’s demand to reintroduce the facility of unconditional amnesty to the investments of black money in the real estate sector.

The sales of electronic home appliances usually pick up ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr as retailers introduce new models and offer discounts and consumers are awash with cash.  

Sales of motorcycles, particularly high-end ones, ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr were impressive over the last one decade but this year is quite different as demand is low due to an increase in inflationary pressure, economic crisis and an increase in prices of the two-wheelers.

Sales of passenger cars declined significantly in the first quarter of 2023 owing to higher prices and macroeconomic volatility, industry people said

Advance bookings for flights and lodging for the upcoming Eid holiday are going slower compared to last year due to the ongoing inflationary pressure resulting from an economic crisis, according to industry insiders.

In 2008, the Japanese government announced the “China Plus One” policy, focusing on relocating its sunset industries from China to other countries.

Sales of ceramics items have dropped by up to 20 per cent in Bangladesh as consumers cut back on their non-essential expenditures and the real estate sector faces a slowdown amid economic uncertainty and higher inflationary pressures, industry people said.

Inland water cargo vessel operations in Bangladesh declined 30 per cent over the past eight months as imports have fallen significantly amid global economic uncertainties stemming from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, according to industry insiders.

Motorcycle sales declined by 30 per cent in Bangladesh in the past two months due to higher inflationary pressures and a draft policy that makes securing a driving licence mandatory before buying two-wheelers.

Pharmaceutical companies are gradually enhancing their capacity to produce the raw materials needed to make medicines, which will go on to reduce Bangladesh’s over-reliance on imports and augment the country’s competitive edge in the global market. 

Bangladesh has the potential to become a hub for manufacturing electric vehicles (EV) as industries for the production of components such as batteries and tyres have already been established while the growing population assures market viability

Electric vehicles (EVs), including plug-in hybrids, will one day dominate the automobile market in Bangladesh as the demand for cars run on alternative fuel is slowly gaining ground, according to importers and distributors.