Jagaran Chakma

Wood plastic composites in the form of kitchen cabinets, bathroom and balcony doors are slowly gaining popularity in Bangladesh for being an alternative to wood, according to industry insiders and realtors.

Following two years of dull demand, home furniture sales went up slightly in the lead-up to Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival for the Muslim community in Bangladesh, as people went on a buying spree despite ongoing inflationary pressure, according to industry people.

Although there is no accurate data on the market for electronic home appliances, industry insiders believe that sales during Eid-ul-Fitr account for around 60 percent of their annual receipts.

Leather exports rose 9.8% year-on-year in Jul-Mar of FY24

About 36 percent of the CEOs are expecting the economic growth rate to improve, compared to 31 percent in a similar survey conducted last year.

Local retailers post up to 65% rise in monthly scooter sales

Singer Bangladesh, one of the leading manufacturers and retailers of home appliances in the country, has begun manufacturing products at its new factory, becoming the first entity to do so inside Bangladesh Special Economic Zone (BSEZ) at Araihazar in Narayanganj.

It becomes the first plant in Araihazar economic zone

According to industry people, the dollar crisis in the country is gradually easing and the global supply chain is getting smoother, positively impacting the pharmaceuticals sector.

Here, the steady growth of Bangladesh’s economy -- around 6 percent annually -- for the last two decades, and subsequent increases in overall buying capacity, played a big role. Another factor is the increasing domestic assembly of these items by local companies.

Yuji Ando, the country representative of the Jetro, said Japanese companies present in Bangladesh are also facing troubles in customs clearance and settlement of letters of credit.

Capital machinery imports are recovering slowly as concerns over political uncertainty ease and banks show more willingness to facilitate investments amidst increased liquidity in terms of US dollars and stability in the exchange rate. During the July-January period of this fiscal year (FY), LC openings for capital machinery grew three percent year-on-year to $1,557 million, according to Bangladesh Bank data.

Plastic product exports from Bangladesh grew 17 percent year-on-year to $162 million in the first eight months of the current fiscal year as the country ensured supply at competitive prices and even discovered new markets despite the global economic downturn.

Production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) at the API Industrial Park in Gazaria of Munshiganj will begin next month, with ACME Laboratories set to commission its manufacturing unit despite the lack of gas supply.

For the past two and a half years, entrepreneurs in Bangladesh have been facing numerous hurdles, beginning from a dollar shortage and a sharp rise in import costs for their escalated rates in global markets and the depreciation of the taka.

Bangladesh’s agricultural product exports have slightly increased year-on-year during this fiscal year, marking a turnaround from a gradually drop over the past three years thanks to, according to industry insiders, restoration of supply chains and a slight improvement in the US dollar crisis.

About 47 percent of the factories that were deemed at risk of industrial accidents by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) have yet to implement necessary corrective measures within the stipulated deadline of December 2023, officials of the government agency said.

There is hardly any restaurant in Bangladesh with a proper fire suppression system while only a handful among the owners are aware of fire safety measures, said a top leader of the Bangladesh Restaurant Owners' Association (BROA) yesterday.

Li Chunrong, chief executive officer of Proton, arrived in Dhaka yesterday to take part in an event where Proton X90 will be unveiled.

Bangladesh faces annual post-harvest losses of about $2.4 billion as the country lacks essential cold chain infrastructure and services known as temperature-controlled logistics (TCL), according to a paper presented at a conference.