Bangladesh’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave policy approval on June 16, 2026, for a 300-acre free-trade zone beside the Matarbari deep-sea port in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar, according to the article. A second 300-acre zone is planned near Chattogram port. The commentary argues that the country must closely assess the economic and geopolitical consequences of what it describes as Bangladesh’s first free-trade-zone initiative.

The article contends that India’s northeastern states could benefit substantially through lower transport costs and shorter delivery times, while Indian businesses could use imported inputs and local labor to export finished goods to ASEAN markets. It contrasts successful free zones in Jebel Ali, Shenzhen and Rotterdam with examples in Panama and Mexico that it says produced weak domestic linkages, customs problems, dependence or environmental damage.

The first phase of Matarbari port development had an approved cost of Tk17,000 crore, including about Tk13,000 crore in JICA loans. The broader MIDA master plan estimates investment of $60 billion to $65 billion over 30 years. The article calls for economic returns from transit concessions, duty-free access for Bangladeshi goods in India’s northeast, 40% local raw-material use, and Bangladeshi capacity and control in port management.

Continuous rain, hill runoff and flooding have damaged vegetable fields, pushing up prices in markets including Lohagara in Chattogram and Shibalaya in Manikganj. A report published on August 2 said low- and middle-income consumers are facing the greatest pressure as supplies tighten. At Amirabad Bottoli market in Lohagara, ridge gourd sold for Tk100 per kilogram, eggplant Tk120, cucumber Tk130 and green chilies about Tk200. The report said these vegetables had been available for Tk30 to Tk40 before the flooding.

In Lohagara, 10 days of heavy rain and hill runoff inundated low-lying vegetable fields. The agriculture office said flooding damaged 150 hectares of crop fields, 5 hectares of betel leaf and 360 hectares of Aus and Aman seedbeds belonging to 9,400 farmers, with losses estimated at Tk5.14 crore. Farmer Jasim Uddin said his vegetable field, valued at Tk500,000, was submerged.

In Shibalaya, green chilies sold for Tk370 to Tk400 per kilogram, round eggplant for Tk100 to Tk120, and tomatoes for Tk130. Sellers cited rain-damaged fields and reduced supply, saying elevated prices could persist for some time. Lohagara agriculture officer Kazi Safiul Alam said technical support and advice are being provided to help farmers rehabilitate and resume production.

Turkiye and Iraq have signed a one-year agreement to keep crude flowing through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline, which runs from Iraq to Turkiye. Turkish state firm BOTAS and Iraqi state oil companies SOMO and NOC signed the deal on Saturday in Ankara, days after a decades-old bilateral arrangement expired the previous Monday. The agreement followed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s visit to Ankara and his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan four days earlier.

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said the transit arrangement covers a daily capacity of 750,000 barrels and was agreed after a meeting with Iraqi Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair. He said efforts toward a new long-term pipeline agreement were continuing. The pipeline’s maximum capacity is about 1.5 million barrels per day, but flows have remained substantially lower in recent years.

According to Turkish data, the pipeline currently carries about 170,000 barrels per day, largely from fields in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Iraq has sought alternative export routes after Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted Gulf shipments. Baghdad and Ankara are also pursuing a broader framework covering oil, electricity, water resources and other cooperation, while Turkiye seeks eventually to carry crude from Iraq’s southern fields.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh could achieve positive economic change within the next four to five years if the government and business community work together. He made the remarks at a meeting with private entrepreneurs at the Prime Minister’s Tejgaon office on Saturday, August 1, 2026. The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, or BIDA, organised the discussion. Rahman said serving the country and its people was the government’s goal, and that existing problems could be overcome through joint efforts.

He said both the government and businesses recognise the economy’s current challenges, and discussions on resolving them would continue. Noting that the government is not yet six months old, he said it had already held several meetings with business representatives and forums and was working on sector-specific issues. He added that many problems raised at an earlier meeting had been resolved, while new concerns raised at the latest session would also be addressed.

The meeting discussed business expansion, increased foreign investment and conditions for new industrialisation. Entrepreneurs sought easier loans, policy support and a business-friendly environment, while expressing satisfaction with progress in government initiatives. Of 28 issues reviewed from the previous meeting, decisions were made on 21 and seven remain under process. The government said it would meet businesses again within two to three months and pledged diplomatic support for a plan to raise export earnings to $100 billion by 2030.

About 45 senior businesspeople and executives representing roughly 25 leading US industrial and commercial firms will visit Bangladesh late next week to explore increased American investment. Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Mahdi Amin announced the planned visit at a press briefing in Tejgaon, Dhaka, on August 1. The delegation is scheduled to meet officials from government ministries and offices, as well as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Amin said the visit follows a courtesy meeting between Rahman and Sergio Gor, the US president’s special envoy for South and Central Asia. According to the spokesperson, the meeting covered economic ties, trade, investment, export growth, import activity and new areas of bilateral cooperation. He said both sides discussed ways to increase US investment in Bangladesh, expand bilateral trade and strengthen US companies’ role in creating jobs.

Amin also said the US State Department had revised its Bangladesh travel advisory from Level 3 to Level 2, which the government described as a positive signal for investors, businesses, tourists and global engagement. The government expects the upcoming delegation’s visit to create opportunities for new investment, expanded trade and long-term economic cooperation. Rahman separately met local business representatives Saturday to discuss investment conditions, energy shortages, tax reform and investment in industrial zones.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed that all ports in Bangladesh remain operational 24 hours a day to simplify business and accelerate import-export activities. The instruction was issued at a high-level meeting with leading businesspeople and industrial entrepreneurs at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka, on Saturday. Mahdi Amin, an adviser to the prime minister and spokesperson for the office, disclosed the decision while briefing journalists after the meeting.

Private-sector representatives had proposed round-the-clock commercial services related to imports and exports at Chattogram Port or Dhaka airport. In response, the prime minister immediately instructed all relevant government offices to coordinate and ensure 24-hour services at every port in Bangladesh. Amin said the measure would make import-export operations faster and more dynamic.

The meeting also discussed private-sector challenges, the investment environment, business expansion, and ways to attract more investment to economic zones under BEZA and BEPZA. Participants considered how to simplify existing complications in those areas. The government said it would provide full policy support to the private sector, while business representatives expressed satisfaction with immediate decisions on policy proposals raised at the meeting.

Argentina and South Korea have announced a partnership to deepen cooperation in the critical minerals industry, Argentina’s Foreign Ministry said Friday. The announcement followed a meeting in Buenos Aires between Argentine President Javier Milei and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during Lee’s South American visit. It came one day after South Korea announced a similar critical minerals partnership with Chile.

Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said the agreement aims to encourage investment and joint projects in the exploration, extraction, processing and refining of critical minerals. Argentina’s presidential office said the leaders discussed strengthening bilateral relations, expanding trade and investment, cooperation in critical minerals and energy, and developing joint projects in strategic sectors. The visit was the first by a South Korean leader to Argentina in 22 years.

On Friday, the Milei administration also authorized South Korean company Posco to expand lithium extraction operations in Salta province in northwestern Argentina. The Economy Ministry said the $547 million project could produce 23,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate annually and generate more than $300 million in yearly export revenue. Argentina is the world’s fifth-largest lithium producer.

US presidential special envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor said a group of American investors will visit Bangladesh next week to explore investment opportunities. He made the announcement to journalists on Saturday morning after meeting Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka.

Gor described the meeting with the prime minister as productive and said the investors would assess which sectors in Bangladesh could be suitable for investment. He praised Rahman’s leadership, saying stability is returning to Bangladesh under his leadership. Gor also called for a swift, sustainable and political resolution to the Rohingya crisis.

Diplomatic sources said the meeting included exchanges on strengthening existing Bangladesh-US bilateral relations, expanding mutual cooperation, and contemporary regional and international issues. Economic cooperation, trade, investment, security cooperation and matters of shared interest received emphasis in the discussions. Gor stressed the need for coordinated efforts by ASEAN neighbouring countries and all relevant parties to address the Rohingya crisis. The meeting was viewed as one of the important engagements between Rahman and a high-level US representative since the formation of the government.

Bangladesh has no registered or officially recognized rice variety called “Miniket,” yet rice is widely sold under that name in markets, according to an Amardesh report published on August 1, 2026. Officials from the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and the Department of Agricultural Extension said the label is used commercially for rice from other varieties, often after polishing. The report also alleges that BRRI dhan-49 and other varieties are sold as Nazirshail.

The Food Ministry issued a circular on February 21, 2024 requiring rice sacks to list the actual paddy variety, production date, mill name and address, and mill-gate price. The circular cited inspections finding rice from the same paddy variety sold under different names and prices, misleading consumers. The report says the directive was not implemented and cites allegations of illegal transactions involving the former food minister and mill owners; no response was obtained from the accused.

The report alleges many mills polish rice by 15% to 20%, above the stated 5% to 7% limit, reducing nutritional value and weight. A Dinajpur mill owners’ representative rejected claims that Miniket does not exist and denied wrongdoing. Agricultural experts urged strict enforcement of the 2024 circular.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has issued a recruitment notice for 587 revenue-funded Trainee SBA-A positions. Interested candidates can submit applications online from August 3, 2026, with the application window remaining open until August 23. The application fee has been set at Tk112.

According to the notice, applicants must have passed HSC in science or an equivalent examination. They must also have at least a second division or equivalent GPA/CGPA in both SSC and HSC examinations. Candidates must be between 18 and 32 years old as of August 1, 2026.

Applicants must be in good health, willing to work hard, and physically capable of climbing electricity poles and other installations. Applications must be completed online through the designated website. Further information and the application procedure are available on the website mentioned in the recruitment notice.

Chattogram-based S Alam Group has announced the closure of 11 factories in different parts of Chattogram, with notices posted in phases from Thursday afternoon through Friday night. The factories were set to close from August 1. Notices said nearly 6,000 workers and employees would receive their outstanding dues in stages. Most of the affected units are located in the Anwara and Karnaphuli industrial areas.

Workers said the factories formally closed after they returned home following work on Thursday, while the company began paying dues to affected employees. Staff who remain on the payroll were told that all arrears and legally mandated payments would be cleared by August 6. Hasmat Ali, an employee of S Alam Refined Sugar Industries, said raw-material shortages and financial difficulties had disrupted production and made wages and allowances irregular for two years.

Another employee, Abdur Rahman, said the factories faced difficulties after restrictions were imposed last August on the company’s movable and immovable assets and bank accounts. The closed units include S Alam Refined Sugar Industries, S Alam Cement, S Alam Oil, S Alam Vegetable Oil, a bag factory and a feed mill. Attempts to obtain immediate comments from S Alam Group officials were unsuccessful.

Bangladesh’s industrial sector is under severe pressure from energy shortages, high interest rates, dollar-market stress and stalled investment, according to the report published on August 1, 2026. More than 250 industrial establishments have closed over the past year, leaving over 150,000 workers and employees jobless. Factories in Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur and Narayanganj are operating below capacity or halting production for much of the day because of inadequate gas pressure.

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data showed significant production declines in several industries in fiscal year 2024-25, including weaving textiles, jute textiles, pharmaceuticals, cement-lime-plaster and fruit processing. Use of diesel generators has raised production costs by 30% to 40%. The government temporarily suspended new industrial gas connections and approved load increases on July 14, followed by an emergency Petrobangla instruction on July 17.

Private investment fell to 21.53% of GDP in fiscal year 2025-26, its lowest level in 14 years. Imports of industrial raw materials and capital machinery also declined, while new foreign equity inflows dropped 70.34% in the first quarter of 2026. BIDA says it is pursuing alternative energy projects and aims to generate 20% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Iran’s National Iranian Oil Company said oil production, development and exports continued normally despite wartime conditions, according to its chief executive Hamid Bord. In a report published on July 31, 2026, Iranian state media said an offshore oil platform was successfully installed during the conflict, while oil exports continued without disruption.

Bord said gas production at platforms in the South Pars gas field remained uninterrupted. Major maintenance work was also completed on the platforms, and debris was safely removed from damaged refineries. He said many NIOC activities were not disclosed during the sensitive wartime period, describing this as a deliberate and planned decision aimed at protecting national interests.

Drawing on experience from rebuilding the Phase 14 refinery damaged in a 12-day war, Pars Oil and Gas Company is rapidly advancing reconstruction work at other refineries damaged in the recent conflict, Bord said. He described the continued operation of oil and gas production, operational areas, offshore platforms and energy facilities as evidence of Iran’s oil industry’s crisis-response capacity. Bord also credited industry workers’ dedication and sacrifice with maintaining production, development and sustainable energy supplies.

The Justice and Democracy Party, or JDP, warned that Bangladesh could move toward an economic recession if the ongoing gas crisis is not resolved quickly. JDP convener Naim Ahmad made the warning at a human chain in Shahbagh, Dhaka, on July 31, calling for an end to the severe shortage and adequate gas supplies. He said the public does not have confidence in government assurances and statements on the crisis.

Ahmad described gas as a key driver of industry, agriculture, power generation and the wider economy. He said shortages are disrupting factory output, creating investment uncertainty and threatening employment. He called for interest on bank loans to affected businesses to be waived or suspended, alongside necessary incentives, until gas supplies return to normal.

He also highlighted cooking-gas difficulties faced by low-income women workers in the garment sector. Ahmad said disruptions to irrigation and fertilizer production could threaten food output, food security and inflation. JDP member secretary Advocate Abdul Alim said the government should take effective action before public anger over daily disruptions turns into mass protests.

Bangladesh’s ninth national pay-scale process is in its final stage, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said on July 31 while speaking to media at the Secretariat. He said the process to issue a gazette notification for the new salary structure would begin quickly after cabinet approval. However, no final announcement of the ninth pay scale has yet been made.

Bangladesh has announced eight pay scales for public employees since independence, with the latest introduced in 2015. Under that structure, the minimum basic salary rose 101 percent to Tk8,250 and the maximum salary rose 95 percent to Tk78,000. Since then, employees have received annual increments at a fixed rate, currently five percent, but no new formal salary structure has been announced.

In July 2025, the Ninth National Pay Commission recommended salary increases of 100 to 140 percent, proposing a minimum basic salary of Tk20,000 and a maximum of Tk160,000. After taking office, the new government formed a separate committee on April 21 to review recommendations. The minister also said the new pay structure had no connection with obtaining a new IMF loan.