Bangladesh’s export earnings have shown consistent positive growth over the first five months (July-November) of the 2024-25 financial year, posting a 15.63 per cent increase in November, driven primarily by higher shipments of readymade garments.

According to provisional data from the Export Promotion Bureau, the country’s export earnings in November 2024 rose by $556.78 million year-on-year, reaching $4.12 billion, up from $3.56 billion in the same month of 2023.

For the July-November period of FY25, export earnings also increased by 11.76 per cent, totalling $19.91 billion, compared with $17.81 billion during the same period in FY24, the provisional data showed.

This positive trend followed a challenging conclusion to FY24, when export earnings declined by 8.54 per cent in June.

The country’s export earnings came back on the positive trajectory in July, the first month of FY25 with a 2.93-per cent growth.

Growth accelerated in the following months, with earnings rising by 5.51 per cent in August, 15.43 per cent in September and 20.65 per cent in October riding on the performance of the apparel sector, the EPB data showed.

Although the export data on RMG for November 2024 is yet to be available, exporters said that there was a steady rise in shipments over the past few months, aligning with the overall growth in export earnings.

‘The rise in apparel shipments is due largely to the accumulation of orders that were deferred in August and September amid student protests and labour unrests,’ said Mahmud Hasan Khan, a former vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said.

He said that while apparel exporters were receiving more orders from global buyers, prices remained low.

‘Manufacturers are being forced to accept orders at reduced prices due to increased production capacity,’ Mahmud said.

However, he expressed concerns about the sustainability of the recent export growth, warning that without improved law and order and adequate banking support, the growth could falter.