Businesses yesterday demanded a better investment climate and adequate energy supplies for industries as the government seeks to raise annual exports to $100 billion by 2030 from $48 billion in the immediate past fiscal year.

The country’s merchandise exports held nearly steady in January, with shipments totalling $4.41 billion, down 0.50 percent year-on-year, according to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data.

Bangladesh’s trade deficit shot up 53 per cent year-on-year to $27.5 billion in the July-April period of the current fiscal year as the surge in imports continued against lower export receipts, exceeding last year’s total shortfall.

Bangladesh is likely to lose about $2.7 billion in export earnings every year once it graduates from the Least Developed Country bracket, where it has been for 43 years.