Jagaran Chakma

Leather goods and footwear exporters will continue to face serious hardships amid the ongoing pandemic as the declining export orders have led to a capital shortage in the sector, according to industry insiders.

The government’s decision to suspend purchase of new and replacement vehicles under all expenses has been extended for the remaining half of the current fiscal year to reduce unnecessary expenditure in the face of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) is set to invest Tk 4,367 crore on a fresh project aimed at developing a greener Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN).

South Korea has agreed to provide $50 million in budget support to Bangladesh to help the country continue its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed ministries to undertake new projects cautiously to avoid unnecessary public expenditure as the government will have to spend a considerable amount money to procure Covid-19 vaccines to immunise the whole nation, officials said.

Bangladesh’s automobile industry has fallen into deep uncertainty as sales declined by 40 per cent this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

IFAD Group is keen to invest Tk 433.5 crore to set up an industrial complex at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) as it looks to make a foray into the growing motorbike and automotive component segments.

Apex Footwear has launched its first international outlet, finding its niche in Kathmandu, the capital of the Himalayan Kingdom ofNepal.

The pharmaceutical market of Bangladesh is expected to surpass $6 billion by 2025 with an absolute growth of 114 per cent from its 2019 levels, according to a report from a Dublin-based market insight and analysis firm, Research and Markets.

A decision by the energy ministry to stop providing new gas connections to the industries outside economic zones and industrial parks from April next year has drawn the ire of industrialists.

Bangladesh, a laggard in the production of raw materials for the $3 billion pharmaceuticals industry, has made a four-fold jump in the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in the last decade to meet growing demand.

Development spending rose to a four-month high of Tk 10,151 crore in October as the government has accelerated expenditure to revive the economy reeling under the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Samorita Hospital, the lone listed healthcare provider, yesterday reported a sharp drop in profit for the last fiscal year, reflecting the sluggish business in the country’s private healthcare sector as most treatment-seekers opted to stay away from hospitals.

Nitol Motors’ plan to roll out locally assembled electric vehicles (EVs) has faced a setback as a fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, which is forcing the company to take two and a half years in additional time before making the cars available in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has proposed reducing the motorcycle registration fee for two slabs to 4.9 per cent and 8.4 per cent respectively to make the popular two-wheelers cheaper for users.

Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Ltd (HPL) is going to invest about Tk 220 crore ($25.68 million) to establish large-scale active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and formulation facilities to meet their growing demand in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh could sign an agreement with India within a short time to begin construction of the India Special Economic Zone (ISEZ), where billions of dollars of investment are expected to pour in from the neighbouring country.

Meghna Group of Industries (MGI) is investing Tk 400 crore to set up a ceramics factory at the Meghna Economic Zone in Narayanganj as the conglomerate looks to establish its footprint in the country’s burgeoning sector.

Bangladesh’s first dedicated bitumen plant established by Bashundhara Group at a cost of around $143.7 million is all set to begin commercial production at the end of this month to meet the domestic demand for asphalt.

Japanese firm Ship Healthcare Holdings in partnership with Bangladesh’s Aichi Medical Group will set up a 1,000-bed dedicated cancer hospital and research centre in Dhaka at a cost of Tk 2,000 crore.