The country's earnings from merchandise exports again fell by 7.07 per cent year on year in May 2026, after showing an upward trend in the previous month-due mainly to poor performance of the readymade-garment sector.
In May 2026, Bangladesh fetched US$4.40 billion in export earnings over that of US$4.73 billion in the corresponding month of 2025, according to the data released Wednesday by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
On the other hand, the country's overall export earnings during the first eleven months of the current fiscal year (2025-26) also sustained a negative-growth trajectory as shipment of readymade garment (RMG) to major countries contracted.
Bangladesh earned $43.79 billion from exports of merchandise goods during the July-May period of the FY 2025-26, reflecting a 2.55 per cent year-on-year negative growth over that of $44.94 billion in the corresponding period of last fiscal, the EPB data revealed.
The country's exports entered a negative territory on a year-on-year basis in August 2025, when the country recorded a 2.93-per cent fall.
The downtrend was followed by a decline of 4.61 per cent, 7.43 per cent, 5.58 per cent, 14.25 per cent, 0.50 per cent, 12.03 per cent and 18.07 per cent in September, October, November, December, January, February and March respectively.
However, the export receipts grew by 24 per cent and 32 per cent in last July and April respectively.
Of the total earnings in May, the RMG sector fetched $3.59 billion, showing an 8.29 per cent negative growth compared to $3.91 billion in the same month of 2025, the EPB data revealed.
As usual, readymade garments maintained its lead position, contributing $35.31 billion--notwithstanding a 3.41per cent negative growth--to the total export earnings during the first eleven months of the current fiscal.
In the clothing segment, earnings from knitwear exports fell by 4.26 per cent to $18.78 billion, while that of woven garments declined by 2.42 per cent to $16.52 billion.
When asked, Mohammad Hatem, President of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said the exports saw a poor performance in May due to suspension of production because of a number of Eid holidays.
Mentioning that the export performance in April'26 was comparatively higher than that of April'25, he said the coming months might not be different as global demands are shrinking for a number of factors like US tariff tension, Middle East crisis resulting in less work orders.
"The US tariffs also changed the overall market dimension with decline in the sales there, thus decreasing the work orders also," he notes.
According to product-wise data, earnings from home-textile exports increased by 3.48 per cent to $853.26 million, up from $824.58 million in the corresponding period of last fiscal.
Leather and leather products fetched $1.09 billion, reflecting a 3.74 per cent year-on-year rise.
The export receipts from the agricultural sector saw a 4.51 per cent negative growth to $885.77 million.
Jute and jute goods fetched $793.36 million, up by 3.17 per cent year-on-year increase.
Export receipts from frozen and live fishes registered a slight increase to $412.11 million during the first eleven months of fiscal 2025-26.
Pharmaceutical exports also grew by 10.73 per cent to $217.67 million over the matching period of last fiscal.
In FY '25, the country's merchandise exports fetched $48.28 billion, riding on $39.34 billion earnings from the apparel sector, according to the EPB data.
Munni_fe@yahoo.com
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