Staff Correspondent:

Bangladesh exported goods worth $4.25 billion, marking a year-on-year growth of 11.44 percent compared to $3.81 billion in March, 2024.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) during the first nine months of the Fiscal Year 2024-25 (July–March), Bangladesh’s export sector demonstrated a commendable performance, achieving total export earnings of US$ 37.19 billion.

The export growth reflects a 10.63 percent growth compared to $33.61 billion recorded during the same period of the previous fiscal year.

The Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector, traditionally the cornerstone of Bangladesh’s export basket, retained its leading position.

RMG exports during July–March FY 2024-25 reached $ 30.25 billion, reflecting a 10.84 percent growth over the corresponding period last year.

For the month of March alone, RMG exports witnessed a 12.40 percent year-on-year growth, rising to $3.45 billion from $3.07 billion.

Beyond RMG, several other sectors also contributed significantly to the overall export growth.

THE TABLE BELOW PRESENTS A COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE MATRIX OF KEY SECTORS:

Value in USD Million

Sector

Export Earnings (Jul–Mar FY 2023-24)

Export Earnings (Jul–Mar FY 2024-25)

Growth (%) Jul–Mar

YoY Growth in March (%)

Total Exports

USD 33,617.41

USD 37,191.32

10.63%

11.44

RMG (Total)

27,288.73

30,246.34

10.84%

12.40

Knitwear

14517.46

16146.72

11.22

12.93

Woven

12,771.27

14099.62

10.40

11.82

Leather & Leather Goods

775.36

852.01

9.89

22.64

Jute & Jute Goods

678.37

626.29

-7.68

0.28

Light Engineering Products

362.96

402.45

10.88

33.32

Home Textiles

645.68

677.60

4.94

3.30

Specialized Textiles

249.04

298.39

19.64

5.84

Other Footwear (Excl. Ch. 64)

309.12

414.68

34.15

44.03

Agricultural Products

760.40

807.06

6.14

-25.72

The RMG sector continues to anchor the export landscape, showing strong and consistent growth both cumulatively and on a monthly basis. EPB said in its observation.

Leather and leather goods, as well as light engineering products, registered notable growth, signaling the diversification potential of Bangladesh’s export base.

Home textiles, specialized textiles, and non-Chapter 64 footwear sectors showed moderate but positive growth.

The jute sector remained largely stagnant, with minimal growth.

Agricultural products, an emerging export segment, suffered a significant negative growth of 25.72%, necessitating targeted interventions to reverse the trend.