Sukanta Halder

Retailers in Bangladesh are feeling the pinch as consumers have been buying less for the last few months because of the continuous increase in the prices of daily necessities and growing uncertainty. 

Nurseries across Bangladesh saw a massive drop in sales in the last four months due to the rising cost of living along with higher production costs and low rainfall.

Sugar prices have started rising afresh to hit a record high of as much as Tk 125 per kilogramme at retail in the two main cities of Bangladesh, namely Dhaka and Chattogram, further straining the wallets of consumers as inflation continues to bite.

The furniture sector is considered a promising sector of Bangladesh thanks to the abundance of labourers, the flow of capital, technological facilities, and higher demand in the global market. 

The price of wheat flour has kept rising in the retail market of Bangladesh due to a decrease in imports amid higher costs of the staple in the global markets, handing a fresh blow to the consumers already struggling to make ends meet. 

The price of wheat flour has increased in retail markets due to a decrease in imports and rise in international market prices, dealing a fresh blow to the people who are already struggling to make their ends meet.

Bangladesh Bank data show deposit growth in the banking sector fell to 9.35 per cent in June this year from 13.80 per cent in June last year.

Reducing the regulatory duty on sugar imports from 30 per cent to 10 per cent could stabilise sugar prices in the domestic market, according to a report by the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC).

Cyclone Sitrang is over and the weather is forecast to be sunny today. But for thousands of people in Bangladesh, including farmers, it is rather gloomy. 

The Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), the sole regulatory body for insurance companies in Bangladesh, has identified nine issues that are impeding growth in the country’s non-life insurance sector.

The sudden rise in the price of sugar, a key ingredient for popular items such as biscuits, juices, sweets and candies, has pushed up the cost of production, putting manufacturers in a tight spot. 

Over half of the life insurance companies in Bangladesh exceeded their allowable management expense in 2021, putting a negative impact on life funds and eroding their capacity to settle claims.

Sugar has become dearer with prices going up by Tk 15 a kg at retail markets as millers cut supplies blaming insufficient gas flow at refineries.

The claim settlement ratio of life insurance companies in Bangladesh plunged to its lowest level at least in a decade in 2021 as their capacity to pay out has been reduced by bad investment, excessive costs and business slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Anwar Hossen, who holds an MBA, works for a private firm and draws a monthly salary of more than Tk 60,000. But he has not purchased any life insurance policy although private sector employees in Bangladesh are not entitled to any pension support and his four-member family will be in trouble if he faces any untimely death. 

Sugar prices have increased again in Dhaka and Chattogram amid a supply crunch.

Bangladesh’s tea production surged to a record high of 14.74 million kilogrammes (kgs) in September this year, according to state-run Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB).

The acute gas crisis, which has been plaguing the industrial sector and households, is unlikely to see a drastic improvement anytime soon.

Although the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) had established some industrial estates as far back as the 1960s, a number of plots at these estates remain unallocated as work on land filling, constructing roads, ensuring security services and other utilities is still ongoing.

The gold market of Bangladesh is witnessing high volatility in prices, raising concerns among jewellers who claim that sales this year have declined by 25 per cent to 30 per cent from what used to be in the pre-pandemic period.