Sukanta Halder

Exports of light engineering equipment, including stainless-steel and iron ware, from Bangladesh have decreased in the first six months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period the year before.

The latest hike of gas prices undoubtedly spells trouble for industries as they will try to shift the burden onto consumers by raising product prices, which will boomerang onto them by eating away at their competitiveness in international markets. 

The Bangladesh Bank is yet to take any visible measure in line with a commerce ministry directive aimed at asking banks to earmark a portion of their foreign currency holdings to open letters of credit to import essentials ahead of Ramadan. 

The latest gas price hike will increase the cost of production in the country, Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, told The Daily Star.

Transactions through mobile financial services (MFS) have decreased slightly in November last year compared to that in the preceding month, showed the latest data of Bangladesh Bank (BB). 

Mohammad Sohel was dusting off the shelves in his shop at the Muktijoddha Supermarket in Mirpur 1 on Wednesday afternoon as no shopper was present. In fact, he did not record any sales on the day although some shoppers did turn out.    

Bangladesh’s export of paper and paper products have risen 123.35 per cent year-on-year in the first half of the current fiscal year thanks to the post-pandemic recovery and manufacturers’ focus on finding new export destinations.

Consumers in Bangladesh are increasingly switching to comforters, quilts and blankets from traditional duvets in order to stay warm throughout the chillier winter nights and amid a change in lifestyle, drawing a substantial investments and big companies to the segment.

The import of essentials such as edible oil, chickpeas, dried peas and sugar fell in July-November as traders face difficulties in opening letters of credit (LCs) to purchase the items from international markets amid the US dollar shortage.

Although the inflation rate in Bangladesh has maintained a downward trend for the past four months, it is still high enough to affect those living in the middle-income category and below, experts say. 

Bangladesh received $22.07 billion in remittance in 2022, almost unchanged from a year earlier, although a record number of workers went abroad for jobs in the just-concluding year, Bangladesh Bank data showed yesterday. 

On a chilly Saturday morning two men sit at a flower shop in the capital’s Shahbagh with different flowers, thread, wrapping paper, adhesive tape and other materials. 

Tourist spots across Bangladesh are abuzz with both domestic and foreign travellers as the coming of winter, the country’s main holiday season, has again brought cheers to the tourism sector following the relaxing of enforcement of pandemic restrictions since the middle of last year.

Plastic toy makers and retailers in Bangladesh are feeling the pinch of a nearly 40 per cent drop in sales amid higher raw material prices fuelled by raging inflation stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Apartments worth at least Tk 1 crore with an area of up to 1,250 square feet were the biggest draw at this year’s REHAB Fair, which is an annual housing exhibition currently being held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka’s Agargaon.

Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has found the presence of harmful sodium hydrosulphite or dithionite in the palm and sugarcane molasses produced in the country.

In January, Monirul Islam did not have to think twice about the bill while eating out in the morning or ordering beef or chicken items for lunch.  

The export of tea has slightly increased in recent times apparently for quality enhancements, focus on retail packs and production being higher than domestic consumption. 

The rising cost of living that stems from higher prices for essential goods has affected the Benarasi Palli in Dhaka’s Mirpur, where traders say sales have dipped by almost half despite it being the peak season.

Sugar prices show no sign of falling in Bangladesh although refining activity is going on in full swing thanks to the improvement of gas supply to refiners to a large extent.