Export earnings in the first-half of the current financial year crossed the government-set target for the period by 3.08 per cent to $14.68 billion.
The earnings posted a 16.56-per cent growth from $12.59 billion of the same period of the financial year 2012-13, showed the Export Promotion Bureau data released on Thursday.
Experts said the export earnings growth in the first-half of the current financial year was encouraging and it was a good sign that the export-oriented sectors could able to retain a modest growth despite political unrest.
The export earnings growth in December, however, was lower than that of the previous month as some products posted negative growth due to political unrest.
The export earnings in December fetched $2.72 billion, 10.54 per cent up from $1.76 billion in the same month of last year.
Despite political unrest both the woven and knitwear maintained a modest growth and crossed the government-set target by 1.90 per cent and 10.02 per cent respectively.
Woven garments accounted for $5.98 billion in earnings with a 20.37-per cent growth in the first half of the FY14 against $4.97 billion in the same period of the last financial year.
‘It is a good sigh that Bangladesh remains competitive and export earnings maintain satisfactory growth despite a number of difficulties,’ Centre for Policy Dialogue executive director Mustafizur Rahman told New Age.
He said that despite increasing export earnings, the cost of doing business increased which put an adverse impact on profitability.
The government has to take initiatives to minimise the cost of doing business for the sake of sustainable export earning growth, he said.
Mustafizur said, ‘Whether the ongoing political unrest has put any negative impact on order placement by the global buyers will be known in March and April.’
The export earnings from knitwear in the first half of the current financial year grew by 19.55 per cent to $5.94 billion against $4.97 billion in the same period of the FY13.
The export earnings from jute and jute goods including raw jute, jute yarn and twine, jute sacks and bags and others posted a negative growth of 17.10 per cent to $416.46 million in July-December against $502.39 million during the same period last year.
Frozen foods export grew by 30.27 per cent to $377.42 million in the six months of the FY14 from $289.73 million in the same period of the FY13.
Leather exports grew by 43.61 per cent to $239.45 million from $166.74 million.
Footwear exports rose by 35.49 per cent to $285.96 million and leather products exports by 29.60 per cent to $94.96 million.
The agricultural products including tea, vegetables, tobacco, cut flower and foliage, fruits, spices and dry food fetched $265.13 million with a 2.99-per cent growth.
The export earnings from the specialised textiles in the first half of the FY14 totalled at $58.42 million with a 0.66-per cent negative growth while home textiles fetched $350.20 million with a 6.30-per cent negative growth.
The export earnings from engineering products including iron steel, copper wire, stainless steel ware, engineering equipment, electric products and bicycle totalled at $176.07 million with a 0.68-per cent negative growth.
-With New Age input
