Dhaka economy led by manufacturing with 56% share: DCCI

The findings were revealed during a Focus Group Discussion on Saturday at the DCCI auditorium, where the chamber presented its Economic Position Index (EPI), a data-driven tool designed to offer real-time insights into the country’s economic activities and guide policy formulation.

Presenting the keynote paper, AKM Asaduzzaman Patwary, Acting Secretary General of DCCI, said the study surveyed 654 respondents between February and March 2025 — 365 from the manufacturing sector and 289 from the services sector.

The manufacturing sample covered eight industries: food products, textiles, readymade garments, leather and leather goods, pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemicals and botanical products, rubber and plastic products, other non-metallic mineral products and basic metals.

The services sector included wholesale and retail trade, land transport and real estate activities.

Patwary recommended prioritising improved law and order, uninterrupted energy supply for industries, financial sector strengthening, simplified loan disbursement and lower interest rates, enhanced trade infrastructure, stronger local supply chains, expanded export markets and reduced VAT on import–export goods.

Former DCCI President Abul Kasem Khan noted that the ready-made garment sector receives disproportionate benefits compared to other industries, complicating direct comparisons. He underscored the need for SME development, digitisation of trade licensing, and benchmarking against competitor countries to improve policy effectiveness.

Md Nurul Alam, Director General of the National Productivity Organisation, stressed the importance of accurate data collection for sound policymaking.

Former DCCI President Ashraf Ahmed also highlighted the role of statistical analysis in supporting future research.

International trade expert Nesar Ahmed observed that Bangladesh has largely exhausted its pre-LDC graduation advantages and urged refinement of research tools for greater precision.

Syed Muntasir Mamun, Director General of the International Trade, Investment & Technology Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggested incorporating the agriculture sector to present a more complete economic picture and emphasised maintaining investor confidence.

Meanwhile, Saif Uddin Ahammad, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and CEO (Additional Charge) of the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute, called for better alignment between DCCI’s findings and other institutional datasets, along with broader sectoral inclusion such as light engineering and service industries.

According to DCCI, the EPI will function as a key policy-support instrument, providing insights into production, sales, orders, exports, employment, and investment trends — enabling policymakers to make timely, evidence-based economic decisions, reports UNB.