The country’s rice import value has increased to about $229.59 million during the first nine months of the fiscal year 2013-14 (July 2013 - June 2014), up nearly fourteen times from about $15.81 million recorded during the same period in FY 2012-13, according to a report released by the Bank of Bangladesh (BB).
According to data from Food Ministry, Bangladesh imported around 374,560 tons rice as of May 19, 2014, of which around 371,500 tons are imported by private sector and only 3,060 tons are imported by the government. Bangladesh imported 28,930 tons rice in FY 2012-13 (25,270 tons by private sector and 3,660 tons by the government).

Tea prices in Bangladesh dropped on Tuesday at the second auction of the new season on weak demand from local buyers despite the arrival of fresh and good quality leaf, brokers said.
Bangladeshi tea fetched an average of 183.82 taka ($2.3) per kg at the auction, down from 194.27 taka at the first auction of the new season, an official at National Brokers Limited said.

Major buyers were back at the market on the arrival of fresh leaf as new season started, although demand were still weak that left huge volume of tea unsold, the official said.
Nearly 94...
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday called up the BJP’s prime-minister elect Narendra Modi to congratulate him even as the new government he is set to lead may find it difficult to meet Dhaka’s key expectations.
Hours after the call, the BJP reaffirmed its stand of opposing the deal the two countries’ governments had inked during outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Bangladesh in September 2011.

Hasina and her Awami League government have been upset over the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government’s failure...
The country received remittance amounting to about US$378.76 million in the first nine days of the current month, reports UNB. Meanwhile, the remittance inflow in April was US $1232.41 million, according to the latest data provided by the Bangladesh Bank (BB). The central bank data also showed that some US $ 14,461.14 million came as remittance in the last fiscal year (2012-13).

Of the total remitted amount till May 9 of the current month, the highest US$ 257.85 million came through the private commercial banks.
This was follow...
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her deep shock at the death of a few hundred of Turkish labourers in a coalmine accident in the Soma district in Turkey on Tuesday.

On behalf of the people and the government of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina conveyed to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and to the bereaved families, sympathies and deep condolences in this tragic accident.
She also prayed to Almighty Allah to give them the strength to withstand this immeasurable loss to their families.
The Pri...