BartaBangla Desk :: Country’s export earnings totalled US$ 2,982.74 million in the first month (July) of the current fiscal (2014-15) showing a fall of 1.37 per cent due to shaky performance of the key woven garment, home textile, leather, jute and jute-made goods, reports UNB. The figure is also 2.03 per cent lower than the strategic target of $ 3,044.44 million, according to the latest figures released by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
The export target for the current fiscal (FY15) was set at $ 33,200 million. Total exports during the last fiscal (FY14) reached $ 30,186.62 million.
According to the EPB statistics, knitwear fetched the bulk of the earnings with $ 1,307.90 million, representing a 4.32 per cent growth over the same month last year while woven garments earned $ 1,210.08 million, a fall of 4.14 per cent.
Export of home textiles totalled $ 59.19 million with a fall of 13.15 per cent; leather footwear exports earned $ 48.85 million; primary commodities $ 114.61 million; frozen foods including frozen fish, shrimps and others $ 65.19 million; and agricultural products $ 49.42 million.
The export trend for leather and leather products and plastic products maintained their upward trend in July.
Leather exports totalled $ 37.36 million, leather products $ 22.93 million, cotton and cotton products together earned $ 8.88 million, plastic products $ 7.97 million, while rubber exports came in the positive trend to total only 1.18 million. The country also earned $ 3.60 million from export of ceramic products.
During the one-month period, export of tea notched a whopping 1700 per cent growth with $ 0.18 million, followed by export of cosmetics with 1100 per cent growth ($ 0.24 million); and golf shaft with 154.79 per cent growth ($ 1.86 million).
Exports of jute and jute goods in July totalled $ 60.98 million, registering a 23.92 per cent fall. Raw jute exports fetched $ 6.91 million with 11.41 per cent decline, jute yarn and twine $ 39.66 million, jute sacks and bags $ 9.36 million; and other items brought in some $ 5.05 million.
Engineering products including iron and steel, bicycle and electronic products fetched almost $ 28.93 million.
Export of man-made filaments and staple fibbers totalled $ 6.76 million while other manufactured products earned $ 11.51 million.
Export growth of ships, boats and floating structures remained stagnant in July bagging only $ 0.01 million.
Export of handicrafts totalled $ 0.58 million, paper and paper products $ 2.65 million, furniture $ 2.14 million, chemical products $ 8.93 million, pharmaceuticals $ 7.27 million, and ores, slag and ash $ 1.12 million – a 39.13 percent fall in July.
Specialized textiles including terry towel, special woven fabric and knitted fabrics marked a negative growth of 39.11 per cent earning $ 7.63 million in July while export of petroleum by-products showed positive trend fetching $ 6.63 million.