B Mirror Desk : Bangladesh will withdraw from the $4.7 billion loan program if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) imposes additional conditions for the release of the remaining tranches, warned Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, special assistant to the chief adviser.

Anisuzzaman: If new requirements are put in place, Bangladesh might withdraw from the IMF loan program.

Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, the chief adviser’s special assistant, cautioned that if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) imposes more requirements for the release of the remaining tranches, Bangladesh will withdraw from the $4.7 billion loan program.

Speaking at a budget lecture on Saturday at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council in Farmgate, Dhaka, he made the statements.
Bangladesh will withdraw if the IMF places further requirements on loan disbursement. The economy might be weakened if all of the organization’s requirements were met, Anisuzzaman said.
Ahead of Bangladesh’s official departure from LDC classification the following year, agricultural economists at the conference advised the government to raise the agriculture budget with specific goals in mind.

Along with calling for greater access to financing and incentives for farmers, they also suggested lowering the value-added tax (VAT) on the import of raw materials used in the production of chicken feed.

On January 30, 2023, Bangladesh agreed to a $4.7 billion loan deal with the IMF in response to its declining foreign exchange reserves.
Three days later, the $476.27 million first tranche was paid out. On December 16 of the same year, a second installment of $682 million was made. On June 24 of last year, the third installment—worth $1.15 billion—was received.
By 2026, the IMF plans to disburse the loan in six installments. Despite the fact that Bangladesh has already received three installments, the fourth and fifth installments’ distribution is now uncertain.