Bangladesh’s merchandise exports grew 4.39 percent year-on-year in October, as stronger shipments of readymade garments, leather and jute products offset declines in several other sectors, including agro-processing and home textiles.
The country earned $3.99 billion from merchandise exports last month, up from $3.94 billion in October last year, according to the latest data released by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
The growth also helped sustain the overall export momentum in the first four months of the current fiscal year, with earnings rising 5.88 percent year-on-year.
Bangladesh exported goods worth $17.09 billion during July-October of FY27, compared with $16.14 billion in the same period a year earlier, an increase of $948.9 million.
The readymade garment (RMG) sector remained the main driver, generating nearly $3.17 billion in October, around 5 percent higher than the $3.02 billion recorded a year earlier.
Among the other major export sectors, jute and jute goods posted the highest growth, with earnings rising around 9.5 percent to nearly $90 million.
Leather and leather goods exports also maintained a positive trend, increasing 4.70 percent to around $100 million from $93.8 million in October last year.
However, the growth was uneven across sectors, with several non-garment industries continuing to face export weakness.
Agro-processed product exports fell nearly 14 percent to around $90 million in October from $102.3 million a year earlier. The sector has now recorded declining exports for three consecutive months.
Home textile exports also dropped nearly 3.8 percent to around $70 million, compared with more than $72.5 million in the same month last year.
Among other products, exports of frozen and live fish declined more than 13 percent, while crab exports surged 81 percent.
Chemical product exports increased around 19.5 percent to nearly $35 million, while pharmaceutical exports grew about 26 percent during the month.
The latest figures underline the continued dominance of the garment industry in Bangladesh’s export earnings, even as the government seeks to diversify the country’s export basket and develop new sources of foreign currency earnings.