Sohel Parvez

Sohel Parvez is the Business Editor of The Daily Star.

Uneasy recovery: strong reserves, weak exports

Record remittances and recovering foreign-exchange reserves offer a rare cushion, but weakening exports expose vulnerabilities

9 January 2026, 06:00 AM

Tent, camping gear exports show signs of recovery

Tents and camping gear exports are showing signs of revival, with global buyers placing fresh orders after selling off pandemic stockpiles.

22 December 2025, 18:00 PM

Sugar, edible oil imports surge as dollar supply improves

Bangladesh remains heavily dependent on imports for sugar, palm oil, soybean oil and wheat

16 December 2025, 18:00 PM

Jute goods exports show signs of recovery after four-year slump

Recovery began in July, following an overall export decline of 4 percent in FY2024-25

14 December 2025, 18:48 PM

Brazil becomes Bangladesh’s top cotton supplier, surpassing India

India was the second-largest supplier with 1.4 million bales, followed by Benin

8 December 2025, 18:00 PM

Rice output fell in FY25 despite historic high Boro harvest

The decline is owed to a reduction in Aush rice acreage, which is harvested during the monsoon

12 November 2025, 18:00 PM

Banks’ lending to SMEs falls to four-year low

Banks’ lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has fallen to a four-year low, putting the brakes on the rising trend in loan disbursements, as political uncertainty and the economic slowdown have dampened borrowing appetite among entrepreneurs.

30 October 2025, 18:00 PM

Favourable weather, higher acreage boost Aman outlook

Farmers and agriculturists said repeated floods and unfavourable weather affected Aman season paddy last year

20 October 2025, 18:54 PM

Govt borrowing from banks rises as unrest hits tax collection

The government’s net borrowing from the banking system rose in the first two and half months of the current fiscal year in the face of falling tax collection and surging foreign debt servicing costs, raising concerns of a crowding out effect on private credit.

23 October 2024, 18:00 PM

Ban on polythene bags a boon for eco-friendly sack makers

Until early September this year, Mahfuza Begum’s Surzu Handicrafts was making eco-friendly, lightweight and reusable net shopping bags out of jute and cotton for a handful of buyers.

15 October 2024, 18:00 PM

Ban on plastic bags a boon for eco-friendly sacks

Availability of raw materials now a challenge

15 October 2024, 16:35 PM

Food inflation above 10% for half a year, why?

Experts say raising policy rate would have little impact on lowering food prices

13 October 2024, 14:24 PM

Why is Hilsa costlier despite increased harvest?

Hilsa remains dearer, although annual production of the most sought-after fish in Bangladesh has increased for the last several years.

11 October 2024, 18:00 PM

Of Hilsa and its hunters

On the corner of a crowded and noisy floor, a bespectacled man was calling out bids for a basket of Hilsa fish. He repeated the prices quoted by traders in a loud, rhythmic tone: “1,400-1,420-1,450…”

11 October 2024, 18:00 PM

No respite for jute goods makers from export fall

Bangladesh’s exports of jute and jute goods have been falling continuously as many buyers have switched to synthetic and regenerated cotton yarn due to high prices of the golden fibre in the domestic market.

10 October 2024, 18:00 PM

Bangladesh’s rice output crosses 4cr tonnes for the first time

For the first time, Bangladesh has bagged more than 4 crore tonnes of rice in a fiscal year (FY) thanks to increasing yields of the most grown crop, according to official data.

9 October 2024, 18:00 PM

Bangladesh's rice output crosses 4cr tonnes for the first time

For the first time, Bangladesh has bagged more than 4 crore tonnes of rice in a fiscal year (FY) thanks to increasing yields of the most grown crop, according to official data.

9 October 2024, 16:18 PM

Banks mostly gave loans to their owners rather than creditworthy borrowers

Bangladesh’s banking sector was not well-managed in recent years. Banks mostly gave loans to their owners, rather than to creditworthy entities. Consequently, several banks are now in difficulty.

6 October 2024, 18:00 PM

An economic corridor that quietly fuels growth

At the turn of the millennium, travelling by road between Sylhet and Dhaka felt akin to a trek across rugged terrain. One would have to awkwardly traverse bumps along narrow and winding paths for upwards of 10 hours to make the trip either way.

4 October 2024, 18:00 PM

Bank Asia puts Deshbandhu Sugar’s collateral on auction

The lender invited bids from interested buyers for properties mortgaged by the company in the capital's Uttarkhan, Uttara Residential Model Town and Bashundhara.

19 September 2024, 15:04 PM

Workers’ demands are not unjust

The workers’ demands are logical so owners should sit together to address this and restore stability to the garment industry, the country’s largest export-earner, said Kalpona Akter, president of Bangladesh Garment & Industrial Workers Federation.

14 September 2024, 18:00 PM

Bangladesh may miss Aman rice cultivation target

Govt may miss Aman acreage target

Bangladesh may miss its target for cultivation of the Aman rice, the second biggest rice crop, this year as farmers in the eastern districts are unlikely to transplant the seedlings again in fields that were washed away by last month’s devastating flood.

12 September 2024, 18:00 PM