Dhaka, Aug. 26 -- Bangladesh is on the cusp of a historic economic milestone. In November 2026, the nation is set to graduate from the United Nations' Least Developed Countries (LDC) category, formally marking its progress towards middle-income status. Yet behind the symbolism lies a sobering reality: the economy is ill-prepared for the shockwaves such a transition will unleash.

Our newspaper on Monday reported that at a joint press conference in Dhaka, sixteen of the country's leading business chambers and associations voiced a rare unified appeal: delay graduation by at least three to five years. Their reasoning is difficult to dismiss.

The loss of duty- and quota-free access to major markets threatens to erode Bangladesh's hard-won exp...