Jagaran Chakma

While demand for most home appliances came down during the Covid-19 pandemic holiday since March, sales of washing machines have skyrocketed to the point that some brands have gone out of stock.

The initiative of Tata Motors and Nitol-Niloy Group to assemble the Indian automobile giant’s specialised pickup trucks in Bangladesh has hit a roadblock as the progress of the project is being stymied by the ongoing pandemic.

Refrigerator manufacturers and retailers could witness poor customer turnout this Eid-ul-Azha, a major Islamic festival that typically accounts for nearly half of the industry’s yearly sales, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to market players.

As part of the government’s initiative to expand Bangladesh’s technical education sector, a general engineering technology centre will be set up at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) in Chattogram.

Shipments of plastic products from Bangladesh fell 16 per cent year-on-year to $101 million in fiscal year 2019-20 following the outbreak of coronavirus all over the world.

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected 98.6 per cent of the poor, who have seen a decline in income, loss of jobs, the closing of shops and business activities and even a complete halt of income, a study finds.

Although the coronavirus pandemic is a major obstacle for carrying out regular activities in both the public and private sectors, Beza’s One-Stop Service (OSS) Centre alleviated the situation by providing easy access to information, application processing and other services to investors at home and abroad.

Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industry managed to grow its exports in the just-concluded fiscal year on the back of a steady demand for medicines during the coronavirus-induced economic and health crises, which have decimated other major export sectors.

The finance ministry has directed the Bangladesh Bank to make wholesale changes to the policies that could be considered systematic faults or dissuade foreign direct investment (FDI) in the post-coronavirus era.

Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza) is all ready to start site development for an India Special Economic Zone (ISEZ), where billions of dollars in investment are expected to pour in from the neighbouring country.

The once cheery demeanour of leather goods and footwear exporters has turned into one of depression as shipments declined 22 per cent in the just-concluded fiscal year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) is moving towards deals to incorporate 23 more dedicated services for investors on its website within the next two months, aiming at improving Bangladesh’s ranking in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index and attract foreign investment.

Cable manufacturers are fearing a 50 per cent year-on-year slash in revenue this year as demand for wires fell drastically in the country due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) is looking for a path to overcome the difficulties of the Covid-19 pandemic in implementation of its funded projects in Bangladesh.

Motorcycle makers have urged the government to continue exempting VAT on sales of locally-made parts until 2027 to keep prices low as the purchasing power of people has seen a sharp fall due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Reconditioned vehicle importers and distributors have breathed a sigh of relief at the tax and duty structure being kept the same in the proposed budget, saying this would help keep pressure off and business stable amidst the pandemic.

The country’s steel manufacturers will likely find it increasingly difficult to recover from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as the government did not include their demands in the budget for fiscal 2020-21, said the Bangladesh Steel Manufacturers Association.

Local steel building makers yesterday urged the government to impose a duty on the import of finished steel products by foreign companies to safeguard the domestic industry.

Cement manufacturers are frustrated over their demands being left unaddressed in the proposed budget, from which they had hoped to avail some assistance to cope with losses incurred for the pandemic.

Bangladesh is gradually being weighed down by foreign loans, understandable through the budgetary allocation for external debt repayment, which would fester in the upcoming fiscal year and undermine efforts to revive the economy bogged down by the novel coronavirus.