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In the first nine months of fiscal 2009 (July-March), 537,000 migrant workers found employment abroad compared to 720,000 in the same period last year. The migrant outflow to Gulf Cooperation Council member countries has declined by 16 percent from 407,000 in fiscal 2008 (July-Feb) to 342,000 in fiscal 2009 (July-Feb).Data shows that 13,540 Bangladeshi workers returned between December 2008 and February 2009.

Frozen shrimp has experienced a steep decline in prices from $5 per kg to $3.7 per kg.

The current economic situation in Bangladesh is stable, but this cannot be taken for granted.

The WB suggested Bangladesh take effective stimulus measures that include strengthening social safety nets, frontloading existing projects and increasing maintenance spending, expenditure increase tends to be more effective than tax cuts.The WB said the measures Bangladesh should avoid include new large-scale entitlement programmes, increase in public-sector wage bill, increase in subsidies to specific industries, reduction in corporate tax rates, increase in tariffs, tax amnesties for companies and interest rate ceilings. On the constraints to a bailout package, the WB report said the government does not have adequate space to finance large bailout packages. "There is some room for higher fiscal deficit, because of savings from subsidy provision, but it needs to be used wisely. These may not benefit the poor," it said.There are better candidates for spending the improved fiscal space: infrastructure, support to small and medium enterprises, microcredit schemes, health and education, safety net programmes, it said.The WB stressed the need for structural reforms to improve investment climate.The WB recommended immediate measures such as reassessing public spending priorities: rural and urban infrastructure, especially power sector, basic health and education. It also emphasised support to the microfinance sector and enhancing the small enterprise fund and support to the housing finance market.Recommending giving transit, the WB said it would promote regional connectivity and trade. It said Bangladesh could earn an additional $1.0 billion or more from exports, transit charges and port fees.

The CPD, in a recent report highlights:”Although overall exports have picked up again in January, 2009 (12 percent growth compared to January 2008), disaggregated figures of second quarter, FY 09 and January 2009 testify to the fact that global crisis have started to have an adverse impact on Bangladesh’s export-oriented sectors and has subjected it to higher volatility”. The government has said that it is considering the idea of expanding the existing cash subsidy scheme to another seven export items.

Port officials said when built annual container handling capacity will rise to 3.0 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) and bulk cargo handling will rise to 100 million tons. CPA will fund 30 percent of the construction cost for the deep seaport while the rest will be collected from government and local and international financiers, ministry officials said. "The first phase of the deep seaport when completed by 2016 will have two harbours of nine 300-metre (long) jetties along with required infrastructure and back-up facilities," said Eddy Declercq, a senior official PCI. The second phase, expected to be completed by 2035, would see two more harbours with the same specifications. The deep-sea port would have six harbours when the third phase would be completed by 2055, the PCI expert said. The study proposed a 40 km railway tracks and roads to connect the deep seaport with Chittagong and Cox's Bazar resort town.

PCI was awarded a $1.62 million contract to conduct the study in 2006, after the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) had took up a plan for the deep seaport off Kutubdia coast, 65 km (40 miles) south of the port.