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volatility. PVC alone has nearly doubled from around $800 to about $1,600 per tonne.

Bangladesh imports more than 1.2 million tonnes of resin each year. The price surge has pushed many factories to break even, with some already shutting down.

Shamima Akhter, director of corporate affairs, partnerships and communications at Unilever Bangladesh Limited, said the conflict has created significant operational challenges because of the company’s reliance on imported inputs.

“A substantial part of our portfolio depends on inputs sourced from the region,” she said, adding that Linear Alkyl Benzene, a key ingredient used in detergent production, has been particularly affected by supply disruptions and global shortages linked to the crisis.

Akhter said higher costs for raw and packaging materials, volatile fuel prices and delays in international freight are driving up procurement and operating expenses.

“These factors are driving up procurement and operational costs, which may impact the production and supply of high-volume FMCG [Fast-Moving Consumer Goods] products,” she said.

Cement makers are also feeling the heat.

Mohammed Amirul Haque, managing director of Premier Cement Mills PLC, said prices of clinker, limestone and gypsum sourced from the Middle East have risen by 30 to 40 percent. Gypsum has increased from about $21 to nearly $30 per tonne, while clinker has climbed from $42 to as high as $54 per tonne.

Manufacturers have raised prices by Tk 10 to Tk 15 per bag, and retail prices have increased by Tk 25 to Tk 30. Haque said private companies have limited capacity to absorb such shocks, making adjustments unavoidable.

Abdul Muktadir, president of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries, said limited operations by major international airlines have disrupted supply chains, while rising fuel prices have sharply increased transport costs.

Most raw materials used in drug production are petrochemical-based, he said. The cost of resin for packaging has more than doubled from about $700 to $1,800.

Manufacturers are now using their existing inventories. As new consignments arrive at higher prices, production costs are expected to rise further, he added.

Sazzadul Hassan, chairman and managing director of chemical company BASF Bangladesh Limited, said the chemical industry is under particular strain because it depends on gas both as fuel and as feedstock.

He said the pharmaceutical industry, which imports nearly 90 percent of its active pharmaceutical ingredients, is also facing mounting pressure. Prices of key inputs such as paracetamol and metformin have jumped by 50 to 90 percent.

Any prolonged disruption, Hassan said, would threaten the supply of essential medicines.

He mentioned the country’s readymade garments sector, heavily dependent on imported synthetic fibres, dyes and finishing chemicals, is also exposed. As lead times lengthen and input costs surge, export competitiveness risks being eroded.

“The war may be taking place thousands of miles away, but its economic shockwaves are already coursing through Bangladesh. Prices are rising, supply chains are fraying, and businesses are bracing for a prolonged period of uncertainty,” said Hassan.