Regional & International Economy

The economy grew 3.51 per cent in the fiscal year 2019-20, the slowest pace of expansion in three decades, as the pandemic wreaked havoc across the country, according to the final figure of state-run Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

Hassan said Bangladesh’s apparel exporters are importing substantial volume of raw materials from India and the transit time from India to Bangladesh is crucial

The government is going to import 50,000 tonnes of rice from India at Tk 32 per kilogramme, which is 32 per cent below the wholesale prices of coarse grain in the local markets of Dhaka.

Trade deficit of Bangladesh widened by nearly 28 per cent in the just-concluded fiscal year for higher import-payment pressure on the economy amid lower receipts from external trade, officials said.

The Bangladesh Bank should raise the cash reserve ratio to mop up excess liquidity from the banking system, said the Centre for Policy Dialogue yesterday as it put forward a set of proposals for the effective implementation of the monetary policy.

Inflow fell to $1.87 billion due to lower number of working days throughout the month

The execution of development projects, especially those funded by donors and mega ones, is hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government yesterday approved a Tk 427 crore project to provide one-off cash assistance to two lakh returnee migrant workers, create a database for them and extend other support to improve their skills.

Bangladesh received US$7.11 billion worth of foreign aid in the last fiscal year (FY) of 2020-21 despite hurdles in execution of the foreign-funded projects amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The central bank has allowed local contractors to open bank accounts abroad without its prior approval.