The country's GDP growth in the current 2014-15 fiscal year has been calculated at 6.51%, which is below the government's expectation of 7%.
"We were optimistic of achieving 7% GDP growth in the fiscal, but finally it has reached at 6.51% due to the political unrest, arson and vandalism during the countrywide blockade and hartal in the January-March period unleashed by the BNP and its allies," Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters Thursday after the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
Terming the 6.51% growth "not bad," Kamal said "Bangladesh is one of four countries who have been maintaining more than 6% GDP growth for the last few years."
The overall size of the GDP at the current price for the FY15 stood at Tk15,13,599 crore. The planning minister said the contribution of the agriculture sector to the GDP in the current fiscal stood at 15.59% while the share of the industry sector totalled 27.98%, and the share of the services sector reached 56.42%.
The agriculture sector in the current fiscal registered 3.4% growth, with the industry sector 9.60% and service sector 5.83%.
The minister said investment ratio to GDP in the current fiscal rose to 28.98%, which was 28.58% in the previous fiscal, with rising trends in both public and private sector investment.
He expressed satisfaction with the per capita income for Bangladesh in the outgoing fiscal year (FY15) which rose to US$1,344, and was US$1,190 in the previous fiscal year.
Besides, when considering per capita income in nominal price, the position of Bangladesh is 58th in the world, while considering purchasing power parity, the per capita income of Bangladesh stood at US$3,190 in the current fiscal, leaving the country's position at 36th in the world, added Kamal.
He also hoped the overall inflation rate would come down in the coming days.
Bangladesh's GDP growth was hovering around 6% over the last couple of years, since the GDP growth at constant price in FY10 was 5.57%, then rose to 6.46% in FY11 and 6.52% in FY12.
The GDP growth rate in Bangladesh in FY13, however, came down to 6.01% followed by 6.12% in FY14.
