Jagaran Chakma

The market for particle board is thriving in Bangladesh on the back of the rising demand for timber-alternative furniture and their growing use in interior designing.

High import duties on raw materials are dampening price competitiveness of Bangladesh’s furniture industry, a major drawback to tapping into international markets.

Ice cream manufacturers are enjoying robust sales after launching awareness campaigns on how consuming the sweetened frozen food does not increase the risk of contracting a serious case of Covid-19.

Factory inspection teams have identified fire safety infractions at around 979 units in the past two months.

Bangladesh is unlikely to face any immediate effect for the coal export ban by Indonesia, the world’s biggest thermal coal exporter.

Medicines worth $105.50 million were exported in the July-December period, up from $86.33 million in the same period a year ago, data from the Export Promotion Bureau showed.

The government is close to striking a deal with foreign investors for reopening the six shut sugar mills as part of its plan to make the losing Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) sustainable.

Sales of sport utility vehicles (SUV) and luxury cars grew at an annual average of 39 per cent in Bangladesh in the past decade as more people, armed with rising income, are buying automobiles in higher numbers.

Akij Ceramics has entered the tableware business to grab a share of the domestic market and diversify the range of products it exports.

The demand for commercial vehicles in Bangladesh has increased as economic activities in the country boomed soon after a prolonged nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 ended earlier this year.

Banks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) perceive the potential business of mortgage loans in the housing and real estate sector to be fast growing thanks to an expansion of the affluent class and people’s increasing spending capacity.

Bangladesh has received investment proposals totaling $21.17 billion since the coronavirus pandemic struck the world nearly two years ago, said a top official. 

Fair Technology Limited (FTL), a subsidiary of Fair Group, plans to introduce locally made Hyundai cars in Bangladesh by the end of 2022.

Realtors in Bangladesh have sold around 10,000 flats so far this year as customers shrugged off pandemic fallout and the government keeps extending the amnesty to the investment of untaxed money in the housing sector.

The Karnaphuli tunnel, South Asia’s first under-river tunnel, is set to be delayed by at least six more months.

The finance ministry has warned relevant government bodies that new projects will not be included in the revised annual development programme (RADP) for the current fiscal year if their details are not sent to the Planning Commission by January 2022.

Indian tyre maker CEAT is unlikely to follow through on its plans to build a manufacturing unit in Bangladesh, apparently at least until the economy fully recovers from the coronavirus pandemic-induced shocks.

The government is set to remove all complexities for the registration and operation of electric vehicles in Bangladesh as the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry has prepared a guideline in this regard.

Even though the affluent middle-class in Bangladesh is growing rapidly and increasing its purchasing power, the demand for passenger cars are still low compared to India and Thailand. 

Timely adoption of regulatory changes and policy reforms will help attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) and access foreign finances, said Nuzhat Anwar, acting country manager for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).