On track to clock record GDP growth

Bangladesh's central bank said Tuesday the country was on track to achieve a record 6.7 percent economic growth this financial year, driven by an impressive turnaround in garment exports. The Bangladesh Bank said economic activity had gained momentum since the start of the financial year in July, with exports posting 37 percent growth in the four months to October thanks to a huge rise in garment orders.
Imports were also up 37 percent, reflecting rising domestic demand, and imports of industrial machinery grew 36 percent, indicating a major expansion in the country's manufacturing sector. The global economic crisis drove gross domestic product (GDP) growth to a seven-year low of 5.8 percent in the year to July 2010. "If the trend continues, the country will achieve 6.7 percent growth in Gross Domestic Product in the current financial year and seven percent in the medium term from 2012," the bank said in a statement midway through the financial year. Bangladesh previously clocked its highest annual GDP growth rate in the 2006 fiscal year, when the economy expanded by 6.6 percent.