Bangladesh is expected to earn $63.5 billion from exports of goods and services by the end of the current 2025–26 fiscal year. Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman made the announcement on behalf of the Ministry of Commerce today (Tuesday, August 12). Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin was also present.

In a written statement on the export targets for FY 2025–26, the ministry said that in the recently concluded FY 2024–25, the country earned $48.28 billion from goods exports against the $50 billion target, meeting about 97 percent of the projection and exceeding the figures of FY 2023–24 by 8.58 percent. In the services sector, exports during July–April of FY 2024–25 stood at $5.77 billion against a $7.50 billion target, marking a 5.13 percent rise from the same period last year.

The commerce ministry said it had reviewed factors such as recent export growth trends, product and market diversification, global trade movements, geopolitical impacts, the Middle East crisis, the Ukraine war, stakeholder feedback, last year’s export targets and achievements, as well as the year-on-year growth rate, before setting the new goals.

For FY 2025–26, the proposed targets are: Goods exports of $55 billion, assuming a growth rate of about 13.40 percent; and Services exports of $8.50 billion, assuming a growth rate of about 18.67 percent.

Based on FY 2020–21 as the base year, the compound annual growth rate in FY 2024–25 was 24.58 percent for goods and 8.38 percent for services.

The target for woven readymade garment exports has been set at $20,790 million, reflecting a projected growth of 14.31 percent. The target for knitwear exports has been fixed at $23,700 million, assuming a growth rate of 12.01 percent.

Considering the size of the global market, the growth potential, and Bangladesh’s capacity in the home textile sector, the export target has been set at $1,020 million, with a projected growth of 17.03 percent.

For the country’s second-largest export sector—leather and leather goods—the target for FY 2024–25 has been set at $1,250 million, projecting a growth of 9.16 percent. However, representatives of the sector have proposed setting a higher target—based on 30 percent growth, taking into account the global market situation, export trends, and the sector’s production capacity.

The target for frozen and live fish exports has been fixed at $539 million, with an estimated growth of 22.06 percent. Sector representatives expressed optimism that, with proper government support—such as policy assistance, licensing of vannamei shrimp hatcheries, and expanding quarantine facilities—exports could grow even faster than the proposed rate.

For jute and jute goods, the export target is set at $900 million, with a projected growth of 9.73 percent. Stakeholders stressed the need for lab testing to ensure product quality and called for urgent steps to strengthen the capacity of the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI). They believe these measures would help Bangladesh emerge as a sustainable exporter in this sector.

For agricultural products, the target has been set at $1,210.4 million, with a projected growth of 22.43 percent. Representatives noted that, if infrastructure improvements are prioritized—such as cargo aircraft services, cooling systems at airports, and Explosive Detection System (EDS) machines—the set target would be achievable.