Sukanta Halder

Hours after a devastating fire tore through Bangabazar Complex in Dhaka’s Gulistan yesterday morning, Abdur Rahman, the owner of an apparel outlet in the area, was found lamenting his losses at the market intersection amid a frantic effort by firefighters to douse the blaze.

Says Abdul Latif Biplob, who lost Tk 2 crore investment, Tk 3 crore worth products in Bangabazar fire

Says Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Sohag, who lost everything of his three shops because of the fire

Local fashion brands with large-scale operations typically add price tags from their factories or warehouses before delivering products to showrooms, according to Shaheen Ahmed, president of the Fashion Entrepreneurs Association of Bangladesh, yesterday. 

The government has formulated a guideline for the commercial cultivation of non-native vannamei shrimp in a bid to increase export earnings from the sector, strengthen its presence in international markets and improve domestic supply.

The retail price of broiler chicken has fallen further in Bangladesh as four major poultry companies are now selling the meat at a maximum of Tk 195 per kilogramme (kg) directly from their farms.

Many companies in Bangladesh now offer group health insurance benefits to their employees in a bid to attract young talents, survive in the competition and comply with regulations, according to industry people. 

Prices of groceries which witness peak demand during Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, have swelled significantly year-on-year owing to hikes in import and transportation costs alongside the value of dollar.

The export growth of agricultural products, including vegetables, fruits and dry food, decreased 26.96 per cent in the first eight months of the current financial year, the sharpest decline in seven years, official figures showed.  

The Bangladesh Business Summit could help attract a good amount of investment from abroad as the capabilities of local businesses are being highlighted at the three-day event, according to Md Jashim Uddin, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).

Sales of gold ornaments have remained low in Bangladesh despite the reduction of the prices of the precious metal twice in February after hitting an all-time high the month before, according to jewellery traders.

Consumers in Bangladesh are still paying higher prices for sugar although a week has passed since the National Board of Revenue (NBR) removed the import duty on both raw and refined sweetener.

The life and non-life insurance sectors have been in a tight spot for the past three years due to the economic shocks resulting from Covid-19 and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

The insurance industry in Bangladesh has immense potential for growth, thanks to the country’s rapid economic development, increasing per capita income, average life expectancy, and large number of young people.

Bangladesh's fruit imports fell 37.79 per cent year-on-year to $157.38 million in the July-January period

Though the government last December had fixed the rate of loose palm oil at Tk 117 per litre, retailers said they were charging Tk 125 to Tk 127

The USA has 5 lakh Bangladeshi migrant workers and Saudi Arabia 20 lakh

A three-day jewellery fair that opened in Dhaka yesterday witnessed, as per the organisers, a good turnout of visitors, a number of whom cited that they were looking for new designs, discounts and potential wedding gifts. 

Bangladesh has to rely on imports to meet about 15 per cent of the demand of the spice market, which highlighted the foreign currencies the country has to spend to bring in the items as well as the potential for local production.  

Scrap vessel imports by Bangladesh hit a four-year low in 2022 as banks in the country have become reluctant to open letters of credit amid the ongoing US dollar shortage, according to industry people.