The country鈥檚 imports聽of raw materials for the readymade garment sector witnessed a growth of 9.9 per cent in the financial year 2024-25, according to Bangladesh Bank data.
According to the data, the country imported raw materials for the RMG sector, including raw cotton, yarn, staple, and other accessories, worth $18.44 billion. The amount was $16.78 billion in FY24.
The central bank published the commodity-wise annual import data through the customs records.
In FY25, Bangladesh earned $39.35 billion by exporting RMG products, the highest export-earning sector. This was an 8.84 per cent increase from $36.15 billion in聽FY24.
The RMG sector accounted for more than 80 per cent of the country鈥檚 $48.28 billion worth of export earnings in FY25, said Export Promotion Bureau data.
The net exports from the RMG sector totaled $20.91 billion in FY25, according to central bank data.
Among the primary raw materials, raw cotton imports experienced a decline of 4.3 per cent to $3.46 billion, down from $ 3.60 billion in FY25.
Bangladesh imported yarn worth $3.61 billion in FY25, 12.3 per cent higher than $3.22 billion in FY24.
Textile and other related articles imports experienced a 16 per cent growth to $8.69 billion in FY25, up from $7.72 billion in FY24, according to the central bank data.
Staple fibre imports stood at $1.53 billion, representing a 10 per cent increase from $1.39 billion in FY24.
In FY25, the country imported dyeing and tanning materials worth $877 million, a 5.2 per cent increase from $833.7 million in FY24, according to Bangladesh Bank data.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association senior vice president Inamul Haq Khan told 抖阴精品 that the values of exports, imports, and net exports demonstrated the stable situation of the country鈥檚 RMG sector.
鈥楾he FY25 was an excellent year for us and we are hopeful that the current FY26 will also be a positive year,鈥� he added.
The United States has recently revised the reciprocal tariff for Bangladesh to 20 per cent, almost the same as its major competitors, except for India, which has been slapped with a 50 per cent tariff.
Inamul Haq expressed optimism that, for this reason, some orders might shift from India to Bangladesh.
鈥楳oreover, we are also in a good shape at European and other markets, so import of raw materials might increase in the current FY26,鈥� he added.
He urged the government to address the domestic bottlenecks, including energy shortage, port and customs issues, ease of doing business, and banking issues, to ensure a better business environment.
鈥業f we get sufficient policy support, we have the ability to reach targets as we are getting better purchase orders,鈥� he added.
However, the import of capital machinery experienced a negative growth of 19.1 per cent to $2.81 billion in FY25, compared to $3.48 billion in FY24, according to Bangladesh Bank data.
The other capital goods import also experienced negative growth of 5.9 per cent to $6.7 billion from $7.15 billion in FY24.
Exporters said that this decline was聽mainly due to political transition and uncertainty, which discouraged entrepreneurs from making new investments.
