Md Asaduz Zaman

Utilisation of foreign assistance under the government’s Annual Development Programme (ADP) by ministries and divisions has slightly declined year-on-year in the first two months of fiscal year 2023-24. 

The number of women bankers has gone up slightly over the last three years, after it saw a drop during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

If you had visited the Krishi Market in the capital’s Mohammadpur during the first half of yesterday, you might have noticed two young men trying to sell half-burnt soaps, packets of detergent and several containers containing cleaning agents on a rickshaw-van.

Sustainable finance is the process of incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into financial investment decisions, resulting in longer-term investments in sustainable economic activities and projects.

Almost 10 years ago, Sondha Rani, 45, started her small betel leaf shop in Mohammadpur Krishi Market, after taking a loan from a relative. She, along with her husband, ran this small shop, which served as the only means of income for their three-member family.

"I couldn't get anything out of the shop. Some of the gold and silver that I had burned and melted. The fire took everything. What it left is just my misfortune," said Ashraf Uddin, the owner of a jewellery shop.

A four-year industrial park project undertaken by the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) in Sirajganj will enter its 14th year of construction due to delays in land acquisition and difficulties in obtaining approval from relevant ministries.

Mrinal Biswas, a resident of Botiaghata upazila in Khulna, doesn’t find job opportunities every day. And when the 62-year-old fisheries worker is lucky to be employed, he earns Tk 500 per day.  

The government has initiated an agricultural project at a cost of Tk 209 crore with the aim to increase production of crops in char areas by expanding the use of modern technologies. 

The export of paper and paper products from Bangladesh rose 85 percent year-on-year in the first two months of fiscal 2023-24 as the country is grabbing a bigger share of the global market in face of reduced competition.

Potato prices are soaring even though farmers this year grew a record 1.04 crore tonnes, cutting the buying power of consumers, especially fixed and low-income people already battered by sustained high inflation. 

Agent banking, which helps bring banking services to unbanked people, continues to gain ground in Bangladesh as the number of accounts, deposit collection and loan disbursement are on the rise.

The number of bank branches in Bangladesh rose to 11,212 in June 2023, up 2.11 percent year-on-year, according to central bank data.

Although wage growth in Bangladesh has been slowly climbing since July 2021, it has remained below the inflation rate for the past 18 months consecutively, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

While washing machines were once considered a luxury, they have gradually evolved into a necessary home appliance for families, driven by expanding domestic market demand.

The deadline for the “Installation of Single Point Mooring (SPM) with Double Line” project will be extended for the fourth time with the cost to be raised by around Tk 1,000 crore, or 15 percent, according to the Planning Commission.

Although two years have passed since the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) supplied its field offices with modern agricultural machinery for distribution among local farmers, most of the equipment remains unused as officials and beneficiaries of the programme lack relevant training. 

When it comes to the percentage of goods and commercial services exports in gross domestic product (GDP), Bangladesh has had some of the lowest figures among 46 least developed countries (LDCs) over the years. 

Unemployment has declined in Bangladesh, and although this means more people are contributing to the economy, analysts are not too upbeat about the development as most of the growth took place in agriculture.

Bangladesh witnessed a massive growth in fish production in the last 12 years through aquaculture driven by a surge in yield of three fish varieties, namely pangas, tilapia and climbing fish (koi).