Rice output fell in FY25 despite historic high Boro harvest
The decline is owed to a reduction in Aush rice acreage, which is harvested during the monsoon
12 November 2025, 18:00 PM
Banks’ lending to SMEs falls to four-year low
Banks’ lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has fallen to a four-year low, putting the brakes on the rising trend in loan disbursements, as political uncertainty and the economic slowdown have dampened borrowing appetite among entrepreneurs.
30 October 2025, 18:00 PM
Favourable weather, higher acreage boost Aman outlook
Farmers and agriculturists said repeated floods and unfavourable weather affected Aman season paddy last year
20 October 2025, 18:54 PM
World Food Day / Nutrition becomes luxury for the poor amid high prices
The long queues at OMS trucks depict a harsh reality as Bangladesh continues to struggle with high inflation
15 October 2025, 18:00 PM
Analysis / Why is Bangladesh’s inflation highest in South Asia?
Bangladesh Bank has hiked the policy rate on 11 occasions since May 2022
4 October 2025, 14:51 PM
As bond yields fall, will lending rate decline?
Bangladesh Bank has been maintaining a contractionary monetary policy stance for nearly two years to bring down inflation
2 October 2025, 14:40 PM
Treasury yields sink, raising hopes for rate cuts
The yield on 10-year bond dropped below 10%
17 September 2025, 18:00 PM
Shrinking cropped area raises food security concerns
Bangladesh’s net cropped area, the total land sown with crops during a particular agricultural year, has been declining over the past few years, raising concerns among agricultural officials and experts about food security for the growing population.
13 September 2025, 19:02 PM
Govt gears up efforts to raise rice imports to curb prices
Against the backdrop of rising prices, the government has geared up efforts to buy rice from the international market to replenish stocks and ensure distributions under social safety net schemes to arrest market volatility.
5 November 2024, 18:00 PM
AL policy favouring oligarchs dampened economy
The Awami League government favoured the super-rich who controlled capital and laundered the funds aboard, dampening the country’s economy.
2 November 2024, 18:00 PM
Defying guidelines, NTTN operators yet to go public
Five of the six operators of Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) have not gone public despite being mandated to float shares on the stock market several years ago.
30 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Govt borrowing from banks rises as unrest hits tax collection
The government’s net borrowing from the banking system rose in the first two and half months of the current fiscal year in the face of falling tax collection and surging foreign debt servicing costs, raising concerns of a crowding out effect on private credit.
23 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Ban on polythene bags a boon for eco-friendly sack makers
Until early September this year, Mahfuza Begum’s Surzu Handicrafts was making eco-friendly, lightweight and reusable net shopping bags out of jute and cotton for a handful of buyers.
15 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Ban on plastic bags a boon for eco-friendly sacks
Availability of raw materials now a challenge
15 October 2024, 16:35 PM
Food inflation above 10% for half a year, why?
Experts say raising policy rate would have little impact on lowering food prices
13 October 2024, 14:24 PM
Why is Hilsa costlier despite increased harvest?
Hilsa remains dearer, although annual production of the most sought-after fish in Bangladesh has increased for the last several years.
11 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Of Hilsa and its hunters
On the corner of a crowded and noisy floor, a bespectacled man was calling out bids for a basket of Hilsa fish. He repeated the prices quoted by traders in a loud, rhythmic tone: “1,400-1,420-1,450…”
11 October 2024, 18:00 PM
No respite for jute goods makers from export fall
Bangladesh’s exports of jute and jute goods have been falling continuously as many buyers have switched to synthetic and regenerated cotton yarn due to high prices of the golden fibre in the domestic market.
10 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Bangladesh’s rice output crosses 4cr tonnes for the first time
For the first time, Bangladesh has bagged more than 4 crore tonnes of rice in a fiscal year (FY) thanks to increasing yields of the most grown crop, according to official data.
9 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Bangladesh's rice output crosses 4cr tonnes for the first time
For the first time, Bangladesh has bagged more than 4 crore tonnes of rice in a fiscal year (FY) thanks to increasing yields of the most grown crop, according to official data.
9 October 2024, 16:18 PM
Banks mostly gave loans to their owners rather than creditworthy borrowers
Bangladesh’s banking sector was not well-managed in recent years. Banks mostly gave loans to their owners, rather than to creditworthy entities. Consequently, several banks are now in difficulty.
6 October 2024, 18:00 PM
An economic corridor that quietly fuels growth
At the turn of the millennium, travelling by road between Sylhet and Dhaka felt akin to a trek across rugged terrain. One would have to awkwardly traverse bumps along narrow and winding paths for upwards of 10 hours to make the trip either way.
4 October 2024, 18:00 PM
Bank Asia puts Deshbandhu Sugar’s collateral on auction
The lender invited bids from interested buyers for properties mortgaged by the company in the capital's Uttarkhan, Uttara Residential Model Town and Bashundhara.
19 September 2024, 15:04 PM
Workers’ demands are not unjust
The workers’ demands are logical so owners should sit together to address this and restore stability to the garment industry, the country’s largest export-earner, said Kalpona Akter, president of Bangladesh Garment & Industrial Workers Federation.
14 September 2024, 18:00 PM
Govt may miss Aman acreage target
Bangladesh may miss its target for cultivation of the Aman rice, the second biggest rice crop, this year as farmers in the eastern districts are unlikely to transplant the seedlings again in fields that were washed away by last month’s devastating flood.
12 September 2024, 18:00 PM
Interest rate spread rises to highest level since 2003
The spread between interest rates on deposits and loans rose to 6.03 percent, the highest in two decades, indicating that banks are making money at the expense of depositors and borrowers.
7 September 2024, 18:00 PM
A regime of crony capitalists
When the Awami League (AL) announced its manifesto with the slogan ‘Charter for Change’ ahead of the general elections in 2008, it drew applause from various sections of society
6 September 2024, 18:00 PM
Floods to affect rice acreage, production
Rice acreage and production in Bangladesh are likely to decline because of recent floods, which would affect paddy of the Aus and Aman seasons, said the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the end of last week.
4 September 2024, 18:00 PM