Businesses are experiencing an uneven recovery from the pandemic-induced slowdown as larger firms are bouncing back strongly thanks to the easy access to the stimulus packages while the smaller ones are still mired in the crisis.
The large industrial and service sectors have made as much as 80-90 per cent recovery compared to the pre-pandemic level. It is only 30-40 per cent for small and medium enterprises.
Since March, the government has unveiled 21 stimulus packages involving more than Tk 120,000 crore, which is about 4.5 per cent of the GDP of Bangladesh and one of the largest in the world.
Businesses belonging to the large industrial and service sectors have managed loans smoothly, whereas small enterprises have been largely deprived.