Bangladesh agriculture’s contribution to GDP drops

Contribution of agriculture to the growth in gross domestic product (GDP) ‘is gradually declining’, the finance minister has said in Parliament.

Replying to a question on Sunday, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said share of industrial sector to the GDP growth ‘is increasing’.

He said contribution of agriculture to the GDP growth was 18.36 percent in 2009-10 financial year and it fell to 16.33 percent in the 2013-14 FY.

On the other hand, industrial sector’s share in the growth rose to 29.61 percent from 26.78 percent during the period, he added.

The minister said service sector’s contribution declined to 54.05 percent in 2013-14 FY from 54.83 percent in 2009-10 FY.

To another query, Muhith said Bangladesh Customs had seized 2,344 kilograms of gold illegally carried to the country.

The gold has been deposited with the central bank, he added.

Replying to another question, the finance minister said foreign aid’s share in the gross national income had now declined to 1 percent from 7 percent in 1988.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, who acted for the telecommunication minister in parliamentary affairs, said in an answer that number of 3G mobile-phone subscribers was 11.183 million at the end of 2014.

He said the country’s 10 public switched telephone network (PSTN) owed Tk 318.7 million to the government.

The government served notices on several of the private fixed phone operators and sued several others for realisation of the dues, he added.