Sukanta Halder

How have local private sector businesses fared in recent years?

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) plans to install nearly 20,000 electronic fiscal devices (EFDs) in jewellery shops across the country to boost revenue collection from the sector.

The interim government is set to import seven lakh tonnes of rice, the highest in the last seven fiscal years, as it looks to shore up its depleting food grain stock and ease the cost of living crisis for the low- and fixed-income people battered by the prolonged high inflation.

Recent supplementary duty (SD) hikes on the import of fruits have dealt a fresh blow to people who were already cutting back on these delicacies since the imposition of regulatory duties in mid-2022..On January 9, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) increased the supplementary duty on the

Imports of most essential commodities related to Ramadan increased in the first six months of the current fiscal year 2024-25, with the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) stating that the prices of these items, whose demand rises during the fasting month, would remain stable.

Economists and businesses criticised the timing of the NBR’s decision, as people have been struggling with above-9-percent inflation for nearly two years.

The National Board of Revenue went ahead with its plan to hike value-added tax and supplementary duty on goods and services despite widespread concerns that the move will stoke inflation and slow down economic activities.

The interim government has expanded the Open Market Sales (OMS) programme across the country to help families cope with inflation, as retail prices of kitchen essentials continue to soar in the local market.

Local agro-processing giant Pran plans to invest an additional Tk 600 crore in its poultry business within the next two years, responding to the country’s growing demand for eggs and chicken.

NBR issues a notification moments ago

Edible oil prices have been rising over the past week in the local market, as grocers say they are not getting enough supplies from the cooking oil companies.  

The exports of fresh vegetables decreased 57.93 percent year-on-year in the first six months of the current fiscal year, official figures showed..Vegetables fetched $70.36 million in the July-December period of fiscal year 2023-24, and in the same period of fiscal year 2024-25 it was $29.6

The company is exporting to more than 52 countries and employs over 50,000 people

People are switching to shampoo mini-packs from regular bottles, women are sacrificing their tiny luxuries of cosmetic puffs while households are embracing cheap but substandard detergents for laundry: this is exactly what happens when brutal price pressures push around 78 lakh people below the poverty line in just two years and stalk another 1 crore to do so.

In one of your most distant childhood memories, you may recall hearing the high-pitched howl of a lone jackal way off in the distance while enjoying the evening from the comfort of your village home.

Throughout 2024, gold seemingly became synonymous with price hikes amid economic turbulence, a weakening taka and plummeting interest rates on savings tools, making the precious metal a safe bet for middle and upper-middle-income people, according to jewellers.

Bangladesh is now in a comfortable position in fish and meat production, bringing comfort to the government in ensuring food security.

Global commodity prices are projected to decrease in 2025, but Bangladesh may fail to reap the benefits if the depreciation of the local currency continues.

Bangladesh relies heavily on imports of essential food items such as edible oils, lentils, onions, sugar, and spices, which have seen a 5 percent year-on-year price increase.

Despite a decision by the interim government to hike soybean oil prices nearly three weeks back, many kitchen markets across Bangladesh, including the capital Dhaka, are missing an adequate supply of the key cooking ingredient.