Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector earned $36.55 billion in export revenue during the first 11 months (July–May) of the ongoing 2024–25 fiscal year, marking a 10.20% year-on-year growth.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the RMG sector had earned $33.18 billion during the same period last fiscal year.

The country’s total export earnings in these 11 months stood at $44.95 billion, of which over 81% came from the apparel sector alone. The rest came from other sectors including leather, frozen seafood, agriculture, and home textiles.

EPB data showed that export and production activities were affected negatively in July and August at the beginning of the fiscal year, leading to a drop in earnings. However, following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, the situation began to stabilise. Export and production have since followed a positive trend.

In the knitwear segment, exports grew by 10.98% to $19.62 billion, while woven garments brought in $16.94 billion, registering a 9.30% rise compared to the same period last year.

Other sectors also performed positively. Frozen shrimp exports rose by 17.5% to $410.19 million, agricultural product exports rose by 3.37% to $927.56 million, and leather and leather goods brought in $1.06 billion—a 13% increase.

Home textile exports fetched $824.58 million with nearly 5% growth. However, jute and jute goods exports declined by 5% to $769.01 million, down from $807.49 million in the previous year.

Total exports in July–May last fiscal year were $40.86 billion, showing an overall export growth of nearly 10% this year.

MSK/