Govt Issues Tk 2,357 Crore Bonds to Settle Fertiliser Importers’ Arrears

During a press briefing, the Finance Adviser outlined key initiatives to address pressing economic issues. He acknowledged calls from various sectors to recover laundered money, noting that forming a task force to tackle the issue is under consideration. Bangladesh Bank’s Governor supported this, mentioning ongoing discussions with the World Bank, the US, and the UK to facilitate the recovery of the illicit funds.

Bangladesh can utilize the Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) framework, established in 2007 by the UNODC and the World Bank, to reclaim laundered money from abroad. The framework was previously employed by the British government in 2010 and 2015 to recover funds stolen from the UK and sent to Bangladesh by scammers.

Bangladesh is seeking a $6 billion budget support package from international lenders. The Ministry of Finance (MoF) aims to secure $1 billion each from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, with an additional $3 billion requested from the IMF. The proposal letter has been sent following preliminary discussions, and formal negotiations are expected to begin soon.

The French Ambassador to Bangladesh offered "technical, legal, and institutional" support to Bangladesh for its reform agenda, focusing on curbing corruption and reforming governance and financial systems. This offer came during her maiden courtesy call on Foreign Affairs Adviser in Dhaka, where she presented a congratulatory message from the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

In Bangladesh, women are increasingly leading a transformation in agriculture, moving from traditional home management roles to managing small and medium-sized commercial farming enterprises. Over the past decade, women's participation in agriculture has surpassed men's, with a 7-percentage-point higher employment rate in this sector, according to official statistics. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2022 reveals that 26.2% of women aged 15 and above are involved in agriculture compared to 19.2% of men.

Recent floods in Bangladesh have caused significant agricultural losses estimated at Tk3,346 crore, affecting 1.4 million farmers. The most severe impact was on paddy production, with losses of Tk2,519 crore, and extensive damage to 291,333 hectares of paddy fields and 19,680 hectares of Aman paddy seedbeds.