Fishermen collect eggs as carp fishes start spawning in Halda

CHATTOGRAM, May 26: Broodfish finally started releasing fertilised eggs in the river Halda, the lone natural fish breeding ground in the country, on Saturday night. Earlier, the mother carp fishes started releasing eggs on Saturday morning following rain on Friday....

Signing of FTAs put on back burner

The government has taken a wait-and-see policy towards signing bilateral free trade area (FTA) deals, officials concerned said.Commerce ministry high-ups, allegedly, have been dithering on the issue in the name of doing a feasibility study.But a number of trade officials...

'Festival inflation' during Ramadan

It is common that during the festive seasons, prices of daily commodities, from onion to beef, cosmetics and accessories, clothing items etc rise exceptionally taking these out of the reach of lower-middle income groups of people. We observe this trend...

Tax collection: Narrowing gap between 'actual' and 'potential'

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has proposed a Tk. 3.25 trillion tax collection target for the next financial year (FY), which represents a 44 per cent increase over the revised target for the current FY. Surprise, surprise!The NBR does...

Are Indian democracy's weaknesses inherent?

The failure of the Indian state to provide basic public services and implement job-creating infrastructure projects was a prominent theme in the country's recent general election. In this regard, critics often compare India unfavourably to China's seemingly purposeful and effective...

NBR detects evasion of Tk 13.5 billion

The income tax wing has detected through field visits the evasion of withholding tax viz. deduction of tax at source worth Tk 13.50 billion this fiscal by different public and private agencies.Of the agencies, five are state-owned while most others...

Economic challenges South Africa faces

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa led his ruling African National Congress (ANC) party to a comfortable victory in the country's parliamentary election earlier this month. But engineering the economic recovery that South Africa needs is likely to be much harder.True,...

Why the world needs national development banks

Support for national and multilateral development banks has grown worldwide in the decade since the global financial crisis. And the continued success of national development banks (NDBs), in particular, will be vital to achieve more sustainable economic growth in the...

Anti-dumping duty on powdered milk likely

The government is considering imposing anti-dumping duty on import of powdered milk to protect the local industry and ensure fair price of nutrient-rich liquid food, officials concerned said.Industry insiders said substandard and cheap powdered milk imported by a section of...

Interest rate spread slightly low in Apr

The overall interest rate spread in the country's banking sector narrowed down slightly as commercial banks increased deposit rates while lending rates fell, officials said.The weighted average spread between lending and deposit rates offered by the commercial banks came down...

New tools raising Ctg Port’s goods handling

CHATTOGRAM, May 24: Container handling of Chattogram Port is gradually increasing following rise in its capacity through procurement of new equipments.A total of 3,370 ships berthed at Chattogram seaport in 2017, while the number rose to 3,747 in 2018. Besides,...

Banks for independent source to verify foreign trade price

Banks want an independent source for price verification of imported and exported goods and services so that they can check mis-invoicing to prevent trade-based money laundering, a survey has found. According to the survey, 50 per cent banks want an...

CPA claims to have halved cost, time of exports, shippers differ

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) said costs and time of exports through the port have halved, but users disagree.The port operator made the claim while responding to a survey of the World Bank's 'Ease of Doing Business' index.The port users,...

Stocks climb on stimulus measures

Stocks edged higher in the outgoing week, snapping a two-week losing streak, as the government's market-supportive measures brought a ray of hope to general investors.Market analysts said the central bank's recent circular widening the banks' scope to invest in the...

Giving paddy farmers their due share

Paddy growers are now demanding fair prices for their produce instead of celebrating Nabanno, a post-harvest traditional festival, as the crop sells at rates lower than their production cost. Forty-year-old marginal farmer Helal Miah of Chawlkpara village in Sarishabari Upazila...

Cyber-security risk: Increasing vulnerability of banks and financial institutions

Technology has become more embedded in our economies and surprisingly keeps steeping along the way particularly into the banks and financial institutions sectors. This trend is associated with beneficial and adverse externalities to society. On the benefits side, improvement in...

Paying the Zakat rightly to make it effective

Zakat is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam. It is also considered as the most vital tool to reduce poverty in a society where Muslims are the majority of the population. The code of Zakat is simple and...

Baffling paddy prices

Historically, agriculture in the subcontinent had been practised as a means of subsistence. Commercialisation of agricultural practices began to expand with the development of infrastructure and storage facilities, and marketing strategies occupied a respectable space in academic discourse. Two factors...

From privatisation to PPPs - not a smooth journey

After the failure and abuses of privatisation and contracting-out services from the 1980s, there has been renewed appreciation for the role of the state or government. Earlier promoters of privatisation have taken a step backward, only to take two more...

How inflation could return

Debates about inflation in advanced economies have changed remarkably over the past decades. Setting aside (mis)measurement issues, concerns about debilitatingly high inflation and the excessive power of bond markets are long gone, and the worry now is that excessively low...

The contribution of humanitarian action to peace

The connection of humanitarian action to broader objectives like peace, development and human rights is understandably complex, but it is also an area in which some fresh thinking is important. The dilemma we are facing today is how to expand...

Poorer nations face missed opportunity, finds WTO report

The utilisation of trade preferences by the least developed countries (LDCs), including Bangladesh, in exporting agriculture products to the developed nation is much lower than that of non-farm goods.For instance, the utilisation of preference in case of non-agro products with...

Tax collection target set at Tk 3.25 trillion for next fiscal

Tax collection target is likely to be set at Tk 3.25 trillion for the upcoming fiscal year with 16 per cent growth over the revised goal of FY 2018-19.At Tk 1.17 trillion, the highest tax collection figure may be set...

Campaign to redesign trade policy with social democratic approach

Developed countries and multinational entities have long been accused of indulging in unfair and distorted trade practices. Oxfam International along with its 13 affiliates initiated the campaign 'Make Trade Fair' at the beginning of the current century with the goal...

US Navy again sails through Taiwan Strait, angering China

The US military said it sent two Navy ships through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, its latest transit through the sensitive waterway, angering China at a time of tense relations between the world's two biggest economies. Taiwan is one of...

What's needed is sustained campaign against adulteration

The ongoing anti-adulteration drive is undoubtedly the toughest among similar actions conducted in the recent past. The relevant government organisations appear to be more active than before during this holy month of Ramadan. Teams belonging to food safety entities are...

Rice growers deserve better

One of the great success stories of Bangladesh is its transition from a food-deficit land to a self-sufficient one. The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has worked wonder in inspiring and capacitating farmers of the country on the way to...

Women empowerment: Closing the gender gap in economic sector

A new generation of well-acquainted and aware women economists is marking its presence not just in the academic aspect but also in the policy world. They have begun showing interest towards lucrative job roles in sectors like data analysis, investment...

Validating the youth budget campaign

For the last couple of years, the concept of 'youth budget' has occupied a space in the mainstream policy debate. Though there is no universal definition of 'youth budget', it has become a buzzword in developing countries including Bangladesh. The...

BB doubles deferred payment period for power companies

The central bank has doubled the deferred payment period for import of raw materials only for the power generating enterprises to help ease the pressure on foreign exchange market, officials said.Under the relaxation, importers are now allowed up to 360...