Export earnings registered a 28.41% year-on-year growth to $24.7 billion in July-December of the current fiscal year, according to the recent data by the Export Promotion Bureau.
Bangladesh earned $19.23 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year.
The apparel sector, the highest earner from export receipts, registered a growth of 28.02% compared to the same period of the last fiscal, EPB data also showed.
For December, apparel exports increased by 52.57% to $4.04 billion, where knitwear maintained the growth of 56.57% and woven products 48.17%.
In the first half of FY22, Bangladesh exported apparel items worth $19.90 billion, which was $15.55 in the same period of FY21.
Though export data looks promising, the challenges are equally mounting. The price of the raw materials including textile, freight cost, dyes and chemicals prices are at peak; there is pressure on the price as it did not increase to the extent of cost hikes, said Mohiuddin Rubel, director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
"Moreover, the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 has initiated a tsunami in our major markets, as countries are adopting measures to flatten the curve. This may impact the retail industry further affecting new and existing orders," he added.
The new year has actually started with another uncertainty, while opportunities can clearly be seen through the export trend in the past few months. It is difficult to predict the immediate future of the market as recovery from the pandemic being faltered, Rubel further said.
Among other notable products, during the July-December period, agricultural products registered a growth of 24.62%, leather and leather goods marked a growth of 26.41%, and engineering products marked a growth of 67.91%
Same as past months, jute and jute products registered a fall of 11.68%.