Bangladesh exported goods worth $440 crore in May, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). Although this represents an increase of nearly 10% compared to April, it is a 7% decrease from May of the previous year, when exports were around $474 crore.
Three out of the top five export sectors saw a decline in May compared to the same period last year. These include ready-made garments, leather and leather goods, and agricultural products. In contrast, exports of jute and jute goods, as well as home textile products, increased.
Officials noted that the long public holiday due to Eid might have contributed to the decrease in exports in some sectors, including garments. The EPB released the latest export earnings data on Wednesday, revealing that exports in May were around $401 crore in April.
The ready-made garment sector, a major driver of the country's export earnings, saw a slight negative impact in May. According to EPB data, the sector earned $359.41 crore in May, including $196.93 crore from knitwear and $162.48 crore from woven garments. This is a decrease of over 8% compared to May of the previous year, when the sector earned $392 crore.
Apart from the ready-made garment sector, the other two major sectors also saw a decrease in exports compared to May of the previous year. The leather and leather goods sector earned $10.93 crore in May, down from $12.5 crore in May of the previous year, a decrease of nearly 13%. The agricultural products sector earned $6.71 crore in May, down from $6.86 crore in May of the previous year, a decrease of 2%.
On the other hand, the jute and jute goods sector saw an increase in exports in May. The sector earned $9.16 crore in May, including nearly $5 crore from jute yarn. This is an increase of around 8.5% compared to May of the previous year, when the sector earned $8.45 crore.
Home textile product exports also increased by nearly 4% in May. The sector earned $8.72 crore in May, up from $8.4 crore in May of the previous year.
In addition, the plastic products sector earned $2.72 crore and frozen and live fish exports earned $2.92 crore in May.
Overall, exports in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year (July-May) amounted to $43.8 crore, a decrease of 2.5% compared to the same period last year, when exports were around $45 crore.
