The Daily Star spoke to top entrepreneurs and executives to know about their 2024 business navigating plans

Bangladesh is more dependent on imported fuel because of its limited primary energy. Hence, policymakers need to work towards ensuring energy efficiency, said the chief of Bangladesh Independent Power Producers’ Association (BIPPA).

As dawn broke yesterday, Asia Begum prepared again for her daily battle to buy essential goods at subsidised prices in order to save a few bucks and bear other family expenses.

Like the outgoing year, 2024 could be a challenging year but it will also offer immense opportunities to Bangladesh’s corporate sector to post growth, said eminent industrialist M Anis Ud Dowla.

Bangladesh’s economy might see a boom in the coming years if mega projects such as the Bay Terminal of Chattogram Port, the Matarbari Deep Sea Port and the Dhaka-Chattogram Elevated Expressway are completed on time, said BSRM Chairman Alihussain Akberali.

The global economy seems to remain fragile in 2024 though inflationary pressure might come down despite the continuation of the wars in Europe and the Middle East, said Kanti Kumar Saha, chief executive officer of Alliance Finance PLC.

Businesses in Bangladesh will likely start recovering from the ongoing economic downturn after March 2024 if the inflationary pressure and US dollar crisis in the country are resolved.

The government should take steps to bring back the $12 billion in export earnings that went missing from the overall export proceeds of fiscal 2022-23, according to a noted economist.

The central bank has extended a total of Tk 22,000 crore in emergency funds to seven beleaguered banks including five Islamic banks to dress up their balance sheet ahead of the year’s end.

The recent passing of Mr Fazlur Rahman, the founder of City Group, has left a profound void in the hearts of many who are mourning the loss of an iconic entrepreneur and industrialist.

The government owes private power producers a total of Tk 25,000 crore in unpaid bills with some companies having unsettled payments for more than nine months.

Rose growers across Savar in the central region of Bangladesh are enjoying good yields and sales of the flower amid the peak sales season this year, with prices having reached sky-high on New Year's Eve

The opportunities for Bangladesh are not limited to a year, rather are continued and for the long-term, said Yasir Azman, chief executive officer at Grameenphone, the largest mobile phone operator.

As 2023 comes to a close, we look at some of the milestones and disappointments of the economy

Businesses in Bangladesh managed to demonstrate resilience in 2023 despite lingering challenges stemming from the war between Russia and Ukraine and the fuel price volatility in the international market, said Rupali Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies (BAPLC)

The present government started its journey at a time when the global economic environment was conducive to growth and low inflation. Food prices had stabilised after the global food crisis of 2007-08. Interest rates were lowered globally in response to the global economic crisis of 2008.

Garment exports from Bangladesh may witness moderate growth of between 7 and 10 percent in 2024 after struggling to perform strongly in the outgoing year due to a global economic slowdown.

The Bangladesh economy faced extended economic distress after recovering partially from the pandemic before facing the cost-of-living increases and external payment imbalances. Economic activity slowed in 2023 with persistently high inflation and erosion of external buffers.

In the wake of its hard-fought liberation in 1971, Bangladesh's incredible transformation into an economic powerhouse is a testament to its solid spirit.

Bangladesh’s corn import may plunge in the marketing year (MY) 2023-24 beginning from May owing to reduced requirement of feed in poultry, aqua and other farms, and difficulties faced by millers in importing goods amid the ongoing forex shortage in the country, according to a recent report by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).