Sohel Parvez

Passenger and cruise vessel services between Bangladesh and India are expected to begin from March 29, opening new horizons for cross-border tourism, said officials.

Bangladesh's chemical imports have nearly tripled in the past decade, spurred by the rising demand from various industrial sectors

Gloom prevails among the growers in the face of falling prices of coarse paddy, stoking concerns that low prices will cause small producers to run into debt and prevent them from going for the next crop.

Wheat imports slumped 17.8 percent year-on-year to 34.20 lakh tonnes in the first seven months of the fiscal year owing to its escalating price in the international market and the relatively lower prices of its substitute rice locally.

Local printers are likely to be able to compete with their foreign counterparts in securing orders to make textbooks for schoolchildren using imported paper thanks to a decision by the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

Consumer rights in Bangladesh have strengthened to a certain extent, helped by the activities of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP).

A panel of the National Board of Revenue is set to propose continuation of multiple rates of VAT along with 15 percent flat rate under the VAT and Supplementary Duty Act 2012, said officials.

People's expectation for safe food cannot be met overnight, said the chairman of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA).

Progress in ensuring food safety in Bangladesh has remained slow despite huge public outcry and efforts by various agencies, thanks to businesses' profiteering tendency, a lack of enforcement of laws, coordination among government bodies and awareness among consumers.

The government is set to frame a policy on agriculture mechanisation with the aim of increasing farm productivity by speeding up the process of adoption of low-cost but efficient machinery at grower's level.

Moinuddin Moin, proprietor of Marlin Digital Studio on the Hatkhola Road, once known as the studio street of Dhaka city, logged in just Tk 930 in sales in three days to January 22.

The National Board of Revenue logged in Tk 10 crore in the last fiscal year thanks to 8-10 multinational companies' voluntary

Warm clothes sellers are recording sluggish sales during the current winter season because of higher temperature in January, historically the coldest month of a year.

The government is framing rules to ensure proper management of electronic waste (e-waste) such as handsets, computers and electrical items, which tend to be dumped haphazardly, posing risks to the environment and public health.

Alim Industries is expanding facilities to make farm machinery to meet the rising demand from growers in the face of gradual decline in farm workers, said the company.

The National Board of Revenue has reduced the tariff on import of parts of automated teller machines (ATMs) and closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to facilitate the gadgets' assembly in the hi-tech parks.

The motorcycle market is set to be around 6 lakh units by the end of 2019 thanks to price cuts, increasing purchasing capacity and thrust for faster mobility.

The Customs Intelligence claimed to have detected that Crescent Group laundered Tk 1,297.65 crore abroad against 657 fake export bills in collusion with some officials of Janata Bank's Imamganj branch in Dhaka.

Home sales are likely to pick up this year after a underwhelming 2018, spurred by hopes of political stability and positive economic growth outlook, said realtors and lenders.

Rice traders have raised the prices of the staple further in the last couple of days, cashing in on the hikes by millers after the national