In the Wake of Disaster

After a three-month-long countrywide shutdown, the situation has considerably improved in the last few weeks. However, our industry leaders and experts believe that the horrific scars, that the shut downs have left behind for our economy, will haunt us till the end of this fiscal year. Both big and small industries in the country are continuously facing the disastrous aftermath of the political unrest. Exporters, especially in the garment industry, failed to grab expected foreign orders for 2015, which usually come in at the beginning of the year.

Prices of daily necessities are shooting up at a rapid speed, leaving many entrepreneurs with no options except shutting down their offices. According to Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), because of the ninety-day long hartals and blockades, the economy incurred a loss of over Tk 2,277 crore on a daily basis. 

For this week's Spotlight, the Star Weekend talks to the entrepreneurs to find out how they are surviving this immense economic loss and why they think their businesses would close-down up by the end of 2015.