Md Nazrul Islam

Marine fish catches from the Bay of Bengal have been falling consistently over the past two years, raising concerns as sea fish provide roughly 13 percent of the country’s total annual protein production.

The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) says it cannot encash deposits worth nearly Tk 1,700 crore held with seven private banks, which the government agency blames for causing delays to its development projects and disrupting regular operations.

“I haven’t received my books yet, even though classes are ongoing. Without it, I am falling behind in my studies,” said Mizanur Rahman Jisan, a student at Pashchim Kadhurkhil High School in the Boalkhali upazila, echoing the sentiment of thousands of secondary students across Chattogram.

Kitchen markets, including those in the capital Dhaka, are facing a shortage of both branded bottled and non-branded loose soybean oil, prompting prices to spike and causing frustration among consumers already struggling with stubbornly high inflation.

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.

Chattogram, the financial capital with significant potential for the real estate business, has seen continuous innovation in housing projects, with developers focusing on customer needs and preferences.

The interim government has reduced taxes and duties on soybean and palm oil to lower prices amid high inflation but this has not helped raise imports. Instead, there is a shortage of bottled edible oil in the markets.

Diesel supply in eight districts of Rangpur has been hampered due to the refusal of loco masters to work overtime and non-arrival of a scheduled consignment through the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline from across the border.

Bangladesh is set to reach a milestone in fuel transport with the commissioning of the 250-kilometre Chattogram-Dhaka diesel pipeline in the middle of December.

An inability to open letters of credit (LCs) since the political changeover on August 5 has resulted in the closure of at least seven enterprises owned by the S Alam Group, including its sugar and edible oil refineries and steel factory.

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation has paid all its dues to foreign suppliers in just two months with the help of seven private banks.

Two tankers caught fire during ship-to-ship transfer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at the anchorage off Kutubdia, Chattogram, early yesterday, in the third incident of vessels catching fire in two weeks.

Four out of five government-owned urea factories have stopped production due to an acute gas crisis, raising concerns over the availability of enough fertiliser during the ongoing Aman paddy cultivation season and the upcoming Boro paddy season.

Global hikes in tyre and tube-making raw materials rates and a factory rampage at local key manufacturer Gazi Tyres have caused a shortage and price hikes for the auto item used in lightweight two- and three-wheelers like motorbikes and auto-rickshaws.

Prices of Indian onion are dropping in Bangladesh, as the neighbouring country on Friday withdrew the restriction of “minimum export price” at $550 per tonne and slashed export duty to 20 percent from 40 percent.

Loose and bottled soybean oil have become costlier in Bangladesh due to price hikes in the global market amid a supply shortage of the key cooking ingredient, according to traders.

Islami Bank Bangladesh granted huge loans to various entities from its Chattogram branches. But there’s just one problem: thousands of crores were disbursed to firms that exist only on paper.

Six foreign fuel suppliers are piling pressure on Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to clear outstanding dues amounting to nearly half a billion US dollars, but a forex crunch in local banks is proving to be a major barrier to timely payments.

A century-old British merchant ship has been discovered at the bottom of the Karnaphuli River during dredging operations for the Chattogram Port Channel. .The 350-foot coal-powered vessel was found on August 15 in the Dangarchar area between Jetty 6 and 7 and has since been salvaged. .<

Fishers in coastal regions of Bangladesh have yet to begin operations as the sea remains rough due to a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, according to industry people..Besides, this delay could cause losses for fishers as they already had to suspend their activities during an annual