The export earnings from readymade garments that included woven and knitwear increased by 26.13 per cent to $2.51 billion with an impressive export growth in July, the first month of the current financial year 2013–14, from $1.99 billion in the corresponding period of the FY 13.
The overall export earnings in July stood at $3.02 billion with 23.99 per cent growth, showed the Export Promotion Bureau data which was released on Sunday.
According to the EPB data, the export earnings from woven garments increased to $1.26 billion with 27.02 per cent growth in July against 11.92 per cent growth in the same period of the last FY.
Knitwear fetched $1.25 billion with 25.24 per cent growth against 0.68 per cent negative growth in the same period of the last FY.
But, according to garment sector leaders, the export situation of July is completely the reflection of previous orders.
The impact of factory disasters like Tazreen Fashions fire and Rana Plaza collapse will be appeared on the data of coming September, former BGMEA president Anwar-Ul Alam Chowdhury Parvez told New Age.
He said when most of the buyers were considering Bangladesh as the alternative to China, the two major factory incidents had hampered the continuous growth of the sector.
Parvez feared negative growths in the export earnings in coming days due to the Rana Plaza collapse that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers. He also said if the government and sector players failed to address the challenges the crisis would linger in the garment sector.
The export of jute and jute products grew by 2.10 per cent to $80.15 million in July of the FY 14 from $78.50 million in July of the FY 13.
Frozen foods export grew by 24.27 per cent to $113.60 million in the first month of the current FY from $100.40 million in the same period of the FY 13.
Leather export grew by 37.35 per cent to $39.42 million in July of the FY 14 from $28.70 million in the same period of the last FY while the footwear export totalled $56.39 million with a 34.13 per cent growth.
The export earnings from leather product amounted to $14.51 million with a 10.26 per cent growth.
The agricultural products fetched $52.77 million with a 2.57 per cent growth.
The export earnings from engineering products including iron steel, copper wire, stainless steel ware, engineering equipment, electric products and bicycle amounted to $33.00 million with a 36.14 per cent negative growth.
Home textile export fell by 16.76 per cent to $68.15 million from $81.87 million in the same period of the last FY.