The country’s export revenue has decreased by $7 billion in one year

❐ Staff Reporter

The two main sources of foreign exchange earnings in Bangladesh are commodity exports and remittances. However, the trends in these two sectors have shown different patterns in a year. Due to the decline in export earnings, the total foreign exchange inflow into the country has decreased by several billion dollars.

According to statistics, in the 12 months from March 2024 to March 2025, exports and remittances combined brought in about $85 billion. Of this, export earnings were about $55 billion and remittances were about $30 billion. But in the next 12 months from March 2025 to March 2026, this income decreased to about $81 billion. Of this, export earnings decreased to about $48 billion. As a result, export earnings decreased by about $7 billion in one year.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau, the country’s exports of goods in March 2026 were about $3.48 billion, which is about 18 percent less than the same month of the previous year. The downward trend in export earnings has continued for several months. Concerned people believe that this is a bad sign for the country’s exports.

About 80 percent of Bangladesh’s export earnings come from the ready-made garment sector. But this sector has also come under increasing pressure. Garment exports have declined due to falling demand in the international market, US tariff policies, increased competition in the European market and global economic uncertainty. Moreover, there was apathy in this sector during the Yunus government.

Experts say that while remittance flows have provided some relief, the overall flow of foreign exchange is under pressure due to the decline in export earnings. The situation could have an impact on the economy as large amounts of dollars are needed to import fuel, food and raw materials. Therefore, economists believe that it is now very important to diversify export markets, reduce production costs and stabilize fuel supply to the industrial sector.