Imports up 17pc in four months

Imports increased by about 17 percent to US$ 5,930 million during the first four months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last fiscal year.
Letters of credit (L/Cs) opened during the July-October period for imports also increased by over 20 percent to US$ 6,626 million, according to provisional figures released by Bangladesh Bank on
Thursday.
“The rise is due to increase in prices of essentials and petroleum products in the international markets,” a senior Bangladesh Bank official said.
However, it was not immediately known if the volume of imports increased during the period.
In the month of October this year, imports worth US$ 1,439 million already entered the country.
Rice worth $ 51 million, wheat $ 63 million, milk food $ 11 million, edible oil $ 76 million, pulses $ 32 million and onion $ 13 million were already imported while an increased amount of these items remain in the import pipeline.