Dhaka: A high-level meeting on the country’s overall economic progress and budget expenditure was held at the State Guest House Jamuna in the city today. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus chaired the meeting, which was attended by Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud, and Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur. The meeting delved into various critical economic topics, including inflation, wage growth, agricultural production, and the financial and external sectors.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the meeting highlighted a significant development in the country’s inflation rates. For the first time since June 2023, the 12-month average overall inflation fell below 9 percent in November 2025. Although point-to-point inflation had previously crossed the 9 percent mark in March 2023, reaching 9.33 percent, it has since declined to 8.29 percent as of November 2025. The government’s contractionary monetary policy and austerity measures are expected to further reduce inflation to below 7 percent by June 2026.
The meeting also addressed wage growth, noting a narrowing gap between inflation and wage growth rates in recent months. In November 2025, point-to-point inflation and wage growth stood at 8.29 percent and 8.04 percent, respectively. This narrowing gap suggests a gradual recovery in real income, following a significant decline in previous years due to high inflation.
Agricultural production was another focal point of the meeting. Thanks to appropriate incentives and management in the agricultural sector, Boro production was successful in the last fiscal year. With no major natural disasters reported, a good harvest of Aman is anticipated this year. As of December 15, 2025, Aman production reached 160.95 lakh metric tons, and total production is expected to exceed the target once the remaining crops are harvested. While Aus production was slightly below target, total agricultural output increased by 7.20 percent compared to FY 2024-25.
In the financial and external sector, the country’s foreign exchange reserves stood at US$ 32.57 billion as of December 18, 2025, up from around US$ 25 billion in August 2024. Exchange rate stability, increased remittance inflows, and a recent rise in financial sector interest rates are expected to boost foreign exchange reserves further.
The meeting also reviewed the current account, which had been consistently negative from FY 2016-17 to FY 2023-24. Thanks to improved financial management and anti-money laundering measures, the deficit narrowed to US$ (-) 139 million by the end of FY 2024-25. During July-October of the current fiscal year, the deficit recorded was US$ (-) 749 million.
Remittance inflows saw a substantial increase during July-November of the current fiscal year, with overseas employment ensured for 500,000 workers compared to 397,000 in the same period last year. Remittance inflows amounted to US$ 13.04 billion, marking a 17.14 percent increase from the previous fiscal year.
The meeting further discussed import growth, which was negative at (-) 1.2 percent during July-November of FY 2024-25 but rose to 6.1 percent in the same period of 2025-26. Regulatory restrictions on imports have been withdrawn to support more productive economic development.
Additionally, the growth in opening letters of credit for capital machinery saw a turnaround, going from negative (-) 32.8 percent during July-October of FY 2024-25 to positive 27.7 percent in the same period of the current fiscal year. The opening of letters of credit for industrial raw materials imports increased significantly from 10.1 percent in July-October 2024 to 40.98 percent in the current 2025-26 fiscal year. This improvement is attributed to effective financial management, enhancing the country’s image and facilitating trade financing.