Bangladesh will expedite diplomatic efforts with the European Union (EU) to keep apparel shipment to that destination unhurt, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said today.

Structural reforms are required to mitigate key bottlenecks of the domestic logistics system as most private sector entities suffer for a lack of adequate facilities, according to business leaders.

China’s export growth slowed in October but beat forecasts, helped by booming global demand ahead of winter holiday seasons, an easing power crunch and an improvement in supply chains that had been badly disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Bangladesh’s exports hit a historic high of $4.73 billion in October with a 60.37 per cent year-on-year increase riding on the stunning rebound of readymade and non-readymade garment shipment.

Exporters in Bangladesh have kept setting new records as merchandise shipment fetched $4.72 billion in October, the highest single-month receipts.

Export earnings increased 60.37 per cent year-on-year to $4.73 billion in October, the highest ever for a single month in the history of Bangladesh.

At least 18 metric tonnes of hilsa were exported to India tonight through the Benapole border on the occasion of Durga Puja.

Bangladesh could not develop Halal business outreach due to limited infrastructure to utilize the potentials of the market in the Middle Eastern region, speakers said in a webinar today.

The reopening of the economies of European countries and the USA has created a new opportunity for Bangladesh on the way of recovery from the severe fallouts of Covid 19 pandemic, apparel exporters said today.

The government has extended the time for hilsa fish export to India until November 5.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed diversification of exportable products, urging businesspeople and officials concerned to expand production of export items and explore new global markets to strengthen the country’s economy further through enhanced foreign earnings. 

Textile and garment makers and exporters yesterday urged the government to quickly simplify the country’s export-import procedures as work orders are in a rising trend despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Pharmaceuticals shipment from Bangladesh grew 33 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of the current fiscal year on the back of anti-coronavirus drugs and cash incentives of the government.

Although the government has set an ambitious target to export one lakh tonnes of mango annually within the next three to five years, no meaningful measures have been taken as of yet to achieve this lofty goal.

The government yesterday banned the exports of soybean meal in order to rein in the spiralling prices of the key ingredients of poultry and cattle feed and protect consumers from paying more for animal protein.

The government is building a technology centre at Bangabandhu High-Tech City in Gazipur especially for the light engineering and plastics manufacturing sectors.

The agriculture ministry plans to double export earnings from fresh vegetables, fruits, processed spices and foods to $2 billion in the next two years by addressing bottlenecks faced by exporters, according to a draft plan.

Exports of leather and leather products from Bangladesh exceeded the pre-pandemic level in the first quarter of the current fiscal year as Western economies reopened following extended coronavirus pandemic-induced closures, pushing up demand.

Apparel export through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) has slowed down once again as two machines equipped with explosive detective system (EDS) went out of order at the airport.

Export-oriented industries in Bangladesh have been allowed to import the raw materials needed for six months duty-free under the bonded warehouse facility, the government said yesterday, in a major boost to the manufacturing sector.