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Remittances fall in QI

Rejaul Karim Byron
Remittance growth in the first quarter of the current fiscal year fell by 8.10 percent—a bad sign for the country's external sector, where Bangladesh was in a comfortable position in recent years.
The remittance inflow was $3.27 billion in July-September, falling from $3.56 billion in the same period last fiscal year, according to central bank statistics.
In September, remittances improved to $1.02 billion from $1 billion in the previous month, because of Eid-ul-Azha, a religious festival that falls in mid-October. But the September figure is about 13 percent lower than in the same month ayearago.
In the last several years, Bangladesh's foreign exchange reserve continued to increase and crossed the $ 16 billion mark.
The country's external sector balance is also in huge surplus. Remittance from expatriates played a key role in attaining this comfortable position. Negative remittance growth may have pressures on the external sector.
A major cause of falling remittances is a decrease in manpower exports in the last six months, Zahid
Hussain, lead economist at the World Bank Dhaka office, told The Daily Star.
Manpower exports fell by 44.41 percent in July-June this year, compared to the same time last year, according to data from the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training.
Hussain said the reason behind the fall in remittance cannot be justified by a fall in manpower export alone; there may be many reasons behind it.
Expatriates living abroad may send home less money if their income falls and cost of living increases, he added.
Remittances fall in QI
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The economist also said political uncertainty is pre-vailingin the country; many people are anxious about the turn of events in the future.
For the same reason, expatriates may prefer to save money instead of sending it home, he added.
Besides, the taka has appreciated against the dollar in recent times due to low investment. Many may expect an increase in investment once the political uncertainty is over and the taka will depreciate, making the expats gain with their income in foreign currency.