Remittance flat at $22b despite record worker outflow
Bangladesh received $22.07 billion in remittance in 2022, almost unchanged from a year earlier, although a record number of workers went abroad for jobs in the just-concluding year, Bangladesh Bank data showed yesterday.
2 January 2023, 02:00 AM
Flower sales bloom amid celebrations
On a chilly Saturday morning two men sit at a flower shop in the capital’s Shahbagh with different flowers, thread, wrapping paper, adhesive tape and other materials.
1 January 2023, 04:00 AM
Tourism takes off with the coming of winter
Tourist spots across Bangladesh are abuzz with both domestic and foreign travellers as the coming of winter, the country’s main holiday season, has again brought cheers to the tourism sector following the relaxing of enforcement of pandemic restrictions since the middle of last year.
29 December 2022, 02:00 AM
Plastic toy sales almost halve
Plastic toy makers and retailers in Bangladesh are feeling the pinch of a nearly 40 per cent drop in sales amid higher raw material prices fuelled by raging inflation stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war.
27 December 2022, 03:00 AM
Flats worth over Tk 1cr are a big draw
Apartments worth at least Tk 1 crore with an area of up to 1,250 square feet were the biggest draw at this year’s REHAB Fair, which is an annual housing exhibition currently being held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka’s Agargaon.
25 December 2022, 05:00 AM
Harmful sodium compound found in molasses
Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has found the presence of harmful sodium hydrosulphite or dithionite in the palm and sugarcane molasses produced in the country.
24 December 2022, 18:00 PM
2022: Soaring prices gave consumers a hard time
In January, Monirul Islam did not have to think twice about the bill while eating out in the morning or ordering beef or chicken items for lunch.
23 December 2022, 02:00 AM
Tea exports rise for high quality, retail packs
The export of tea has slightly increased in recent times apparently for quality enhancements, focus on retail packs and production being higher than domestic consumption.
18 December 2022, 03:30 AM
Inflation puts the squeeze on sales of Benarasi saris
The rising cost of living that stems from higher prices for essential goods has affected the Benarasi Palli in Dhaka’s Mirpur, where traders say sales have dipped by almost half despite it being the peak season.
14 December 2022, 02:30 AM
Sugar prices show no signs of easing
Sugar prices show no sign of falling in Bangladesh although refining activity is going on in full swing thanks to the improvement of gas supply to refiners to a large extent.
13 December 2022, 02:30 AM
Projector sales double amid FIFA World Cup
Shajedul Islam Sajal, who lives in the WASA staff quarter near Pallabi Extension in Dhaka’s Mirpur, had pooled his money with other youths in the area to buy a projector for Tk 15,000 before the FIFA World Cup began on November 20 this year.
10 December 2022, 18:00 PM
BSCIC Industrial Estates: Infrastructural shortcomings the prime concern
Infrastructural inadequacies, such as potholes, are the biggest concern for businesses based in industrial estates of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), according to 67 per cent of the entrepreneurs with factories inside BSCIC areas across the country.
2 December 2022, 04:30 AM
Tax return filing fails to keep pace with growing economy
The number of registered taxpayers is gradually increasing in Bangladesh but return submission is low relative to the size and growth of the economy, which has expanded significantly in the past decade.
1 December 2022, 02:00 AM
Of OMS queues and desperation
Eighty-year-old Renu Bibi left home in the capital’s Lalbagh before daybreak to queue up for subsidised rice and flour sold at a truck under the government’s Open Market Sale programme.
1 December 2022, 01:00 AM
Small businesses suffer as sales drop for high inflation
Cottage, micro, small-and-medium enterprises (CMSMEs) in Bangladesh are suffering from significantly lower sales at a time when inflationary pressure has pushed up production costs, according to entrepreneurs.
25 November 2022, 03:30 AM
Powdered milk prices rise by Tk 50-110 per kg in one month
The prices of powdered milk have increased again by Tk 50 to Tk 110 per kilogramme (kg) in the last one month for rising prices in the international market, shortage of US dollars owing to depleting foreign currency reserves and complexities in opening letters of credit.
23 November 2022, 03:00 AM
Power tariff hike will add to woes
The decision to increase the wholesale price of electricity by 19.92 per cent to Tk 6.20 per unit has raised concerns among businesses who say consumers may soon have to bear the added burden.
22 November 2022, 02:30 AM
In search of cheaper homes
When SM Laizur Rahman got a notice from his landlord saying that his flat’s monthly rent would go up by Tk 3,000 starting next January, he could not believe it.
22 November 2022, 01:05 AM
Pressure on economy: Next three months are critical
For the Bangladesh economy, the next three months are expected to be delicate as the measures the government has taken so far to steady the ship amid the global economic tempest start to play out.
18 November 2022, 02:00 AM
IDRA asks insurers to hire actuaries
The insurance regulator of Bangladesh has directed all life insurers to set up an actuarial department and appoint actuaries with a view to assessing and managing the risks of financial investments and insurance policies.
17 November 2022, 02:20 AM