Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur has downplayed concerns over a US dollar shortage and assured that there will be no obstacles in paying for essential Ramadan imports.

Speaking at the Fourth Bangladesh Economic Conference in Dhaka on Saturday, Mansur said the external sector has stabilised and that banks currently have sufficient foreign currency to meet demand.

“There is no shortage of dollars in the banking sector — you can buy any amount of dollars as long as you bring in Bangladeshi taka,” he said.

The governor added that letters of credit (LCs) for Ramadan-related imports have already been opened, with adequate foreign exchange support maintained based on last year’s supply. He said, “For this year’s Ramadan, we do not see any cause for concern.”

Mansur also noted that LC openings have risen in several product categories this fiscal year, with increases ranging from 15 to 50 percent compared with the same period last year.

Despite easing pressures in the forex market, the governor highlighted that inflation remains high, largely driven by a surge in rice prices. “An 18 percent increase in rice prices alone pushed inflation up by 1.4 percentage points last month,” he said, attributing part of the problem to policy failures.

He warned that restricting imports only leads to higher domestic prices, even when global market prices remain stable, and criticised bureaucratic interference in commodity imports.

Mansur also mentioned that bank deposit rates have risen from 6 percent to 10 percent, suggesting that they may increase further in the near future.