B Mirror Report: Mohammad Hatem, President of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), has said that the country’s business and trade sector is currently going through a critical situation.

He made the remarks on Saturday at a press conference organized on the occasion of BKMEA Expo 2026 at a hotel in the capital.

Hatem alleged that businesses are not receiving minimum support from the banking sector. He noted that frequent power outages and inadequate fuel supply are forcing factories to halt production for at least two to three hours daily.

As a result, production costs have increased by at least 20 percent, negatively impacting businesses. He warned that if the situation continues, many more enterprises may be forced to shut down.

He also informed that more than 1,000 exhibitors from 30 countries are expected to participate in this year’s event.

Notably, during the 2024–25 fiscal year, the sector earned around 39 billion US dollars in export revenue, accounting for more than 80 percent of the country’s total export earnings.