The market for the equipment used in power generation, distribution and transmission is growing very fast in Bangladesh in keeping with expanding electricity production and consumption.

Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla new year, has once again brought no cheer to clothing and sweets retailers as the coronavirus pandemic has kept a majority of customers at bay for the second year in a row.

The government has taken steps to meet the additional demand for sugar and ensure unadulterated products during the upcoming fasting month of Ramadan, according to officials.

Onion seed producers in Faridpur fear a lower than expected harvest this time as droughts, swarming caterpillar attacks and low pollination have hampered cultivation this year.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) yesterday exempted import of crude soybean and palm oil of a 4 per cent advance tax (AT) to contain prices during Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims.

Bangladesh Bank yesterday instructed banks to impose account maintenance fees on small depositors once a year.

Textile and garment manufacturers and exporters yesterday demanded the government allow keeping factories open during the coming lockdown to help them offset the losses caused by the pandemic.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday indicated that the government may consider reducing corporate tax rates for listed firms in the upcoming budget.

The central bank yesterday extended the banking hours by half an hour after clients rushed up to branches to withdraw cash as the country is set to go into a strict lockdown from April 14 to tame the raging coronavirus.

Robi Axiata logged 1.7 per cent higher revenue year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020 thanks to increased data use.

Walton is set to market the ventilators it has produced with the help of world-renowned medical equipment manufacturer Medtronic, a development that would help critical coronavirus patients to receive proper treatment.

The government is developing the country’s first industrial park for electrical and light engineering product manufacturers at a cost of Tk 300 crore in Munshiganj, which could herald a beginning to bring the highly scattered and unorganised industries under a single platform.

Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), a platform of the primary textile sector, yesterday saw the reelection of Mohammad Ali Khokon, chairman of Maksons Group, as its president for fiscal 2021-23.

Chattogram-based Denim Expert’s managing director, Mostafiz Uddin, has been sending an open letter to some leaders in Europe, the UK and the US since February 26 urging reopening clothing stores to ensure sustainable supply chains in garment business.

The repayment period for loans from the stimulus package aimed at cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSMEs) should be extended by two years as those firms have been severely impacted by the pandemic, according to speakers at a virtual discussion.

The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit Bangladesh in early March this year -- almost exactly a year after the initial wave reached the country’s shores.

Fishermen and fish traders have found themselves in hot water as the ongoing nationwide pandemic restrictions have hampered sales ahead of Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla calendar.

Stocks of 66 listed companies, for whom the floor price was recently lifted, will be allowed to fall a maximum of 2 per cent a day instead of the usual 10 per cent.

Bangladesh Finance and Investment Company Ltd (BD Finance) has signed a deal with US-based Sovereign Infrastructure Group (SIG) to attract $2 billion worth of investment in infrastructure projects in the next two years.

Garment factory owners and union leaders are at loggerheads over the imminent tough lockdown the government is set to impose across the country to curb the rising cases of coronavirus infections.