Study estimates food inflation for the poor at above 20pc
Monday, 22 September 2008
Food inflation for the country's marginalised population is more than double the national inflation rate, according to a study published Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.
The 'Bangladesh Economic Outlook', a quarterly update by private research group Shamunnay, accounts food inflation for the poor at above 20 per cent.
The study also looked into the impact of recent food price hikes on the education of children from poor and vulnerable households.
It said poorer households with higher than average number of family members experienced greater probability of children dropping out from school, while smaller families with higher per capita income have less probability of school dropouts. The probability of dropouts also tends to be higher in rural areas compared to urban areas, the report reads.
Looking into the government's '100 Days Employment Generation Programme', the report highlighted targeting the right groups, timely implementation, monitoring and evaluation as major challenges to the success of the initiative.
Touching on the country's macro-economic indicators, the report said trade deficit has significantly widened over FY 2008 paced by high import costs in food and fuel.
The report, however, said that the country's capital market outperformed other markets in the region over the year despite falling substantially since May '07.
Foreign reserves stood at about $6.1 billion, which is about 21 per cent higher than the reserves held at the end of FY 07, boosted by a 32 per cent growth in remittances in FY 08. The private research group expects that it will grow further during the current fiscal year.
On the country's business scenario, the study said SMEs were recovering better than larger businesses, while the Business Confidence Index witnessed overall slight improvement.
The 'Bangladesh Economic Outlook', a quarterly update by private research group Shamunnay, accounts food inflation for the poor at above 20 per cent.
The study also looked into the impact of recent food price hikes on the education of children from poor and vulnerable households.
It said poorer households with higher than average number of family members experienced greater probability of children dropping out from school, while smaller families with higher per capita income have less probability of school dropouts. The probability of dropouts also tends to be higher in rural areas compared to urban areas, the report reads.
Looking into the government's '100 Days Employment Generation Programme', the report highlighted targeting the right groups, timely implementation, monitoring and evaluation as major challenges to the success of the initiative.
Touching on the country's macro-economic indicators, the report said trade deficit has significantly widened over FY 2008 paced by high import costs in food and fuel.
The report, however, said that the country's capital market outperformed other markets in the region over the year despite falling substantially since May '07.
Foreign reserves stood at about $6.1 billion, which is about 21 per cent higher than the reserves held at the end of FY 07, boosted by a 32 per cent growth in remittances in FY 08. The private research group expects that it will grow further during the current fiscal year.
On the country's business scenario, the study said SMEs were recovering better than larger businesses, while the Business Confidence Index witnessed overall slight improvement.