Exports rebound in August but fails to reach target

Exports significantly rebounded in August when it increased 14.02 per cent year-on-year to $3.38 billion buoyed by garment shipment, particularly knitwear items.

Despite the significant rise, August’s figure is still 8.84 per cent below the target of $3.71 billion set by the government, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

In July and August combined, the earnings declined by 0.31 per cent year-on-year to reach $6.87 billion and it is 7.84 per cent below the target of $7.44 billion, according to EPB data.

Earnings from garment shipment, which typically contributes 84 per cent in the national export, slightly decreased by 1.27 per cent year-on-year to $5.64 billion in July and August in 2021.

Of the total earnings from apparel shipment in July and August, some $3.25 billion came from knitwear export, registering a 4.63 per cent year-on-year growth.

On the other hand, earnings from woven declined by 8.33 per cent year-on-year to $2.38 billion because of a fall in demand for formal dresses during lockdown and pandemic.

Exporters said shipment of knitwear items is better than woven because the demand for knitted items has increased worldwide due to long homestays by the people worldwide amid the ongoing pandemic.