Export earnings rebound in April after eight-month slump

Bangladesh's export earnings have rebounded in April, rising almost 33 per cent year-on-year after declining for eight straight months.

The country earned more than $4 billion from merchandise exports in April, driven mainly by strong growth in the ready-made garment sector.

Data released by the Export Promotion Bureau on Sunday showed Bangladesh earned $4.01 billion from goods exports in April, the 10th month of fiscal year 2025-26.

That was up 32.91 per cent from $3.01 billion in April last year and 15.20 per cent higher than March's $3.48 billion.

Garments Lead Recovery

The ready-made garment sector, Bangladesh's largest export earner, generated $3.14 billion in April, up 31.21 per cent from $2.39 billion a year earlier.

Garments accounted for 78.32 per cent of total export earnings during the month.

Knitwear exports rose 30.02 per cent to $1.70 billion, while woven garment exports increased 32.65 per cent to $1.42 billion.

Despite April's strong performance, cumulative exports for the first 10 months of the fiscal year remained in negative territory.

From July to April, Bangladesh exported goods worth $39.39 billion, down 2.02 per cent from $40.21 billion in the same period a year earlier.

A Volatile Fiscal Year

The fiscal year began strongly, with exports surging 24.90 per cent to $4.77 billion in July.

But momentum quickly faded.

Exports declined 2.93 per cent in August, 5.66 per cent in September, 7.43 per cent in October, 5.54 per cent in November, 14.25 per cent in December, 0.50 per cent in January, 12.03 per cent in February and 18.07 per cent in March.

March marked the steepest monthly fall, with exports dropping to $3.48 billion.

Trump Tariffs and Market Uncertainty

Exporters had initially expected Bangladesh to benefit after the United States reduced reciprocal tariffs on Bangladeshi goods from 35 per cent to 20 per cent on Jul 31, just before the measures took effect on Aug 7.

Higher tariffs imposed on Chinese and Indian goods had also raised hopes of additional orders shifting to Bangladesh.

However, exports continued to weaken.

Fresh uncertainty emerged after the US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's global tariff measures on Feb 20.

A new 10 per cent tariff was imposed the next day, later raised to 15 per cent.