Bangladesh's apparel shipment to US rises 51% during January-September

Bangladesh's apparel shipment to US, the country's single largest export destination, rose 50.98 per cent year-on-year to $7.55 billion during January-September this year, the US Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) said, reports UNB.

With an 8.54 percent export share, the country remained the third largest apparel import source for the US.

In the first nine months of this year, the US imported apparel worth $69.27 billion from around the world, reporting a 34.61 percent rise year-on-year, according to OTEXA.

During January-September of 2022, US imports from China, the largest supplier of apparel to the North American country, grew 22.48 percent to hit $17.72 billion.

At the same time, imports from Vietnam stood at $14.59 billion, posting an 18.51 percent year-on-year growth, OTEXA said.

"While China and Vietnam had the larger share of the US' total apparel import, Bangladesh saw better export growth than these countries," Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Director Md Mohiuddin Rubel said.

"This positive trend is a result of our management of the Covid situation and the post-Covid measures that we took. Also, we did well in the area of compliance. That is why the US sourced more from us. Also, the country shifted its sourcing focus from China to different countries, including Bangladesh," he added.

Among the top 10 apparel suppliers to the US, imports from India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Pakistan, and South Korea grew 53.39 percent, 54.66 percent, 46.58 percent, 40.11 percent, and 39.61 percent per cent year-on-year, respectively.