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
World Food Day / Nutrition becomes luxury for the poor amid high prices
The long queues at OMS trucks depict a harsh reality as Bangladesh continues to struggle with high inflation
15 October 2025, 18:00 PM
Analysis / Why is Bangladesh’s inflation highest in South Asia?
Bangladesh Bank has hiked the policy rate on 11 occasions since May 2022
4 October 2025, 14:51 PM
As bond yields fall, will lending rate decline?
Bangladesh Bank has been maintaining a contractionary monetary policy stance for nearly two years to bring down inflation
2 October 2025, 14:40 PM
Treasury yields sink, raising hopes for rate cuts
The yield on 10-year bond dropped below 10%
17 September 2025, 18:00 PM
No end to GP and NBR’s disputes
Grameenphone has been refraining from paying value-added tax (VAT) on rentals of Bangladesh Railways’ optical fibre since March 2018 as it is not being furnished with invoice by the revenue administration as stipulated by the laws.
18 February 2020, 18:00 PM
Postal deposit rate cuts: A blow to low-income groups
The sudden cut in interest rates on postal savings came as a bolt from the blue for many small depositors who depend largely on the interest incomes to make ends meet.
17 February 2020, 18:00 PM
Soaring post office deposits to come crashing down
Savings accounts in post offices saw soaring deposits in recent years thanks to high interest rates offered by the government to tempt people in the suburbs and rural areas to use formal channels for parking their funds.
16 February 2020, 18:00 PM
Onion acreage blows up to a new high
Onion acreage has gone skyward this season as farmers have raised their game buoyed by high prices that resulted from a supply crunch brought on by a curb on exports of the key cooking ingredient by India, the country’s main source.
16 February 2020, 18:00 PM
Revenue shortfall can’t stop stretching
Revenue shortfall against the target, which is a common occurrence nowadays, is getting wider as the fiscal year nears its end, much to the concern for the government that has already ramped up its borrowing from the banking sector.
11 February 2020, 18:00 PM
Jute: a bright spot in export basket
Jute and jute goods brought home the bacon this fiscal year when most other export-earning sectors flatlined, thanks to a recovery in demand for natural fibre-based yarn and biodegradable products abroad.
9 February 2020, 18:00 PM
NBR once again extends deadline for VAT software use
The National Board of Revenue has extended the deadline for the third time for use of software for record-keeping by firms with turnover of Tk 5 crore and above in the face of resistance to installing the costly software.
4 February 2020, 18:00 PM
No sweat for printers as orders pour in
The streets of Dhaka city have turned into a sea of posters as candidates for the upcoming two Dhaka city corporation elections have had their election materials plastered on every wall and pole as far as the eye can see.
30 January 2020, 18:00 PM
Meena Bazar in talks to take over Agora
Meena Bazar, one of the country’s biggest supermarket chains, is in talks to acquire its peer Agora in a bid to scale up its business volume to strengthen its foothold.
29 January 2020, 18:00 PM
Solar panel installation rising sans proper disposal policy
Bangladesh is set to see a rising volume of waste from solar photo-voltaic panels in the coming years, which in the absence of absence of proper disposal and management pose risks to the environment and humans.
11 January 2020, 18:00 PM
Commerce ministry seeks VAT, duty cuts on edible oil, sugar
The commerce ministry has requested the revenue authority to cut the value-added tax on edible oil and slash tariff on raw sugar imports to keep their prices stable during upcoming Ramadan when demand soars.
9 January 2020, 18:00 PM
Edible oil prices hauled up by VAT
The imposition of value-added tax (VAT) and advance tax (AT) in the value chain of edible oil are contributing to the spike in prices of the essential cooking ingredient, said a Bangladesh Tariff Commission report.
8 January 2020, 18:00 PM
Widening revenue shortfall raises alarm
Revenue collection deficit from target widened further in November despite the pace of overall collection growth last month compared with October, according to provisional data of the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
5 January 2020, 18:00 PM
Concord excited about govt move to phase out clay bricks
The government move to make the use of blocks mandatory in public construction will boost manufacturing of environment-friendly construction materials and encourage private businesses to invest in the sector, said the chief of a top realtor.
4 January 2020, 18:00 PM
Solar energy prospects getting dimmer
Solar energy installation has lost momentum in the last two years as the appetite for the cleaner electricity fell in the face of fast-expanding electricity connections in off-grid areas by public agencies.
4 January 2020, 18:00 PM
New Year cheer for flower farmers
With great excitement Mohammad Sher Ali and fellow farmers in Panisara of southwestern upazila Jhikargacha began plucking rose, gladiolus, tuberose and gerbera in abundance from earlier this week.
31 December 2019, 18:00 PM
Fair prices elude farmers
Optimism to turn the tide in his favour had preoccupied the mind of Bimal Krishna Biswas as 2018 drew to a close.
29 December 2019, 18:00 PM
Factory production slowing down
Major industrial sectors are suffering from a sluggishness as factory production slowed down to a great extent in the July-August period of 2019-20 thanks to a fall in shipments.
26 December 2019, 18:00 PM
Real wages in fishery, construction falling despite faster GDP growth
Last fiscal year, Bangladesh’s GDP grew at a record 8.15 percent, so it is natural to assume the real income of all would see some degree of increase with such a high level of economic expansion. And yet, fishermen and construction workers saw their real wages fall.
22 December 2019, 18:00 PM
Poverty Alleviation, Women Empowerment: Champion goes, legacy lives on
A bolt from the blue came in 2005 and left Sufia Begum in despair: she lost her husband, the sole breadwinner in her family, in an instant to electrocution, leaving her with no money and three young daughters to raise by herself.
21 December 2019, 18:00 PM