News Flash
DHAKA, Aug 5, 2025 (BSS) – Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus hoped that inflation will come down to 6 percent by December, saying controlling inflation was the biggest challenge for his interim government.
“Due to the fragile economy and floods, food inflation was about 14 percent. Now it has come down to half. We hope that it will come down to 6 percent by December,” he said in his televised address to the nation this evening marking the July Mass Uprising Day.
Prof Yunus said immediately after the interim government took office, the terrible flood situation that occurred in the southern and northern parts of the country caused massive damage to crop production.
“As a result, there was a fear of an increase in the prices of daily necessities. However, this was avoided due to appropriate steps taken by the concerned institutions and authorities, monitoring and reducing the dominance of middlemen. Especially, the market situation has been stable since the holy month of Ramadan this year,” he said.
This June, the country's overall inflation decreased to 8.48 percent, which is the lowest in the last 35 months, he said, adding that overall inflation witnessed a gradually fall for the last four months in a row.
As a result of the immense trust of the expatriate Bangladeshis in the current interim government, stability has also returned to the forex market, said Prof Yunus.
Last fiscal year, a record $3033 crore remittance came into the country through banking channels while export earnings grew by about 9 percent.
As a result, the taka has gained strength, he said, adding after many years, the value of the taka is increasing against the dollar.
In the last 11 months, $4 billion has been paid to foreign lenders as interest and principal, which is the highest ever, he said, adding even after paying off previous outstanding liabilities, foreign exchange reserves are increasing.
He hoped that this trend will continue in the future.
As a result of various initiatives taken to increase foreign investment, the country got foreign investment worth Taka 10,500 crore in the first three months of this year, which is more than double compared to the same period last year.
And it is calculated from October last year, foreign direct investment was Taka 16,500 in the six months, which is double compared to the last six months of the previous government's tenure, he added.
He said employment generation is one of the major goals of the interim government.
The chief adviser said recently, Hong Kong-based industrial group Handa has promised to invest $250 million in Bangladesh's textile and ready-made garment sector, which is the single highest investment by a Chinese company in this sector. Their investment will create employment for 25,000 people, he added.
“We firmly believe that this investment by Handa will encourage more Chinese companies to invest in this country. Through this, it will open the way for employment for our youths,” he said.
The chief adviser said his interim government has taken the initiative to bring back the huge amount of money laundered from the country in the last 16 years.
The government has appointed renowned foreign law firms for this long legal process for recovering the money, he said, adding as a result of appropriate legal steps, some of the massive financial assets that the fascists and miscreants took to different countries of the world have already been seized.
He hoped that if this process is continued properly, some more positive results will be achieved in a short time.
“To strengthen the country's fragile economy, we need to bring about a fundamental change in our thinking. I have always said that the rivers and vast seas of this country are our valuable resources. We want to use these resources and build a 'water-based economy' in parallel,” he said.
“We often forget that a part of the Bay of Bengal is also our country. Its size is more than our total land area. We almost always worry about our land. We do not consider the remaining water-based area of the country as we do not live in that part. We do not live in the haors or the baors too. But we do not leave it out of the calculation,” he said.
“From now on, we will always move forward keeping in mind that our part of the Bay of Bengal is a valuable part of our country. We will conduct our overseas business through the water ways. Through it, we will make the whole world our neighbor,” he said.
There are endless resources in this water; fish resources, which yield crops every year, said the chief adviser, adding that there is immense gas under this water and “all of this must be constantly guided by our thoughts and ideas”.
Prof Yunus said his interim government has taken the initiative to reorganize the management of Chattogram Port.
The government has recently given the responsibility of handling the New Mooring Terminal Container to the Dry Dock Limited run by the Bangladesh Navy, he said, adding as soon as they started working, some positive changes have occurred.
In the first two weeks, an average of 225 more containers are being handled per day than before, he said, adding if this port is developed in a modern way, it will not only play a role in the economy of Bangladesh, but will also be able to play a positive role in the economies of Nepal, Bhutan and neighboring regions.
“In return, they will also benefit, and we will also benefit,” he added.
“Our coastal region is a source of endless potential. The activities of various ports from Kumira to Teknaf will establish the entire coastal region as an important economic hub of South Asia,” he said.
Prof Yunus said many industrial zones will develop in this entire region simply because of the proximity of the sea and its efficiency.
“We have started discussions with our friendly countries to ensure sustainable use of the resources and environment of the sea, coastal regions and they have responded enthusiastically,” he said
“We have not yet been able to utilize the deep sea for our benefit. Focusing on this, we have started working to develop the fish farming, collection and processing industry, which will create employment for millions of people. Our economy will be strengthened with new energy,” he said.
