....in international harems.
"VognoDuut167" <dawn@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:1Kudnf_VY99t0rvVnZ2dnUVZ_qPinZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Bangladesh is showing a
> brilliant performance
>
> Bangladesh has been victim of devastating flood twice in the last year.
A
> severe cyclone (Sidr) swept through Bangladesh in November 2007 which
left
> over 10000 dead and half a billion USD in damage. Yet economic data
shows
> that Bangladesh is on track in its expected growth. That's almost like a
> miracle.
> The Export Promotion Bureau in Bangladesh reported that Bangladesh
> exports in March 2008 have increased by 21.25 per cent from the past
year
to
> $1.22 billion. In July to March, the first three quarters of the
2007-2008
> fiscal year, export earnings grew 12.4 per cent to $10.16 billion.
Export
> volume increased by 13.93 per cent. Earnings from knitwear garments in
the
> nine-month period grew by 17.34 per cent to $3.9 billion. Exports of
woven
> garments increased 7.54 per cent to $3.8 billion.
> According to the Bangladesh central bank statistics, Bangladesh
> expatriates sent home a record remittance i.e. US$6.449 billion in the
first
> 10 months of this fiscal year. It got a 31.48 per cent growth over the
> corresponding period of the last fiscal year. The remittances from
> Bangladeshi nationals working abroad were estimated at $800.20 million
in
> April 2008. In March, the remittance was $808.72 million.
> At least 295,155 Bangladeshis found jobs in over 100 countries during
the
> January-April period this year. This is up from 192,725 in the same
period
> last year, according to the Employment and Training (BMET) statistics
> published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Manpower.
> A recent report indicated that banks in Bangladesh are allowed to
open
> small business centres in Bangladesh. It suggested that Bangladeshi
> expatriates are now increasingly using banking channels to remit money
as
> banks have become efficient in delivering such money. The Bangladesh
Bank
> recently decided to allow the commercial banks to partner with the
> non-governmental organisations (NGO) having branches all over the
country
> for disbursement of remittances, particularly in the rural areas.
> In another report published earlier this month, Bangladesh's central
bank
> said that the economy could grow as much as 6.2 per cent in the current
> fiscal year, supported by a rebound in agricultural output following
natural
> disasters and a pick-up in exports growth.
> In few recent reports on Bangladesh ship-breaking industries, it has
been
> emphasised that Bangladesh has emerged as a major ship-breaking
destination
> in South Asia. An average of 150-200 vessels are being scrapped in
> Bangladesh every year, according to one report. Bangladesh is getting a
> competitive edge over its rival in neighbouring countries like India and
> Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan generate around 4,000 tonnes of scrap
> steel per vessel, while Bangladesh generates 12,000-15,000 tonnes of
scrap
> steel per vessel, according to the data provided by the report. A high
> official of the Ship Recycling Industries Association of India have said
in
> a newspaper interview that 'Indian ship-breakers are losing business to
> Bangladesh'.
> There are some downsides as well. Bangladesh has been under serious
rice
> shortage and price has climbed as much as 50 per cent in recent months.
> Bangladesh was seriously affected by the worldwide rice shortage. Being
in
> the list of top five rice-producing countries did not help Bangladesh
much.
> That's because Bangladesh consumes more rice than it produces since rice
is
> the primary food here. Bangladesh has to import a large sum of rice each
> year. Natural disasters made this worse. Even living in Silicon Valley,
I
> can feel the heat as my local Costco have run out of rice for weeks.
Other
> shops have also increased the price and put a limit on how much each
> customer can buy. I can imagine the situation in Bangladesh where 35 per
> cent people live below dollar-a-day poverty line. Yet the new harvesting
> season is giving them a hope.
> Government of Bangladesh has just banned export of rice for six
months
> except for aromatic varieties. Official says that the ban came after the
> Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) revealed last week that a group of
exporters
> have cashed in on the government's free rice export policy by shipping
in
> record amount of the staple this fiscal year.
> Bangladesh factory owners and officials have come into rescue by
> providing subsidised food to low-paid workers. Workers in Bangladesh are
> assumed to spend about 70 per cent of their income on food. 'The
Bangladesh
> Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association will provide rice at
> two-thirds of the market price to a quarter of its 800,000 employees', a
> local official said to a reporter.
> The central bank (Bangladesh Bank) reported that Bangladesh's overall
> import grew by 24. 37 per cent during the first nine months of the
current
> fiscal year (July 2007-June 2008) over the same period of the previous
> fiscal. 'The overall import increased during the period due mainly to
higher
> import of essential items including food grains, industrial raw
materials
> and petroleum products to meet the domestic demand,' a senior official
of
> the Bangladesh Bank have said to a news reporter.
> Looking over both pros and cons from the reports coming from
Bangladesh,
> it seems that Bangladesh have been passing difficult times. But at the
same
> time, all economic data pointers are suggesting that the overall growth
is
> marching forward in full swing. If only its political leaders now
realise
> the opportunity that lies ahead and abandon the path of corruption and
> instability like strike, Bangladesh should embrace a promising future.
The
> real question is, will they realise it and come clean?
> GM Solaiman
> Silicon Valley, California, USA
>
>
|
