The country's export earnings totaled $9652.65 million in the first four months (July-October) of the current fiscal year (2014-15), showing a fall by 0.97 percent or Tk 6,000 crore compared to the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

The decline in the export earning was attributed to poor performances of the key woven garment, jute and jute-made goods.

The figure is also 7.58 percent lower than the strategic target of $10,444.72 million, according to the latest figures released by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

The export earning target for the current fiscal (FY15) was set at $33,200 million. Total exports during the last fiscal (FY14) reached $30,186.62 million.

The single month export earnings in October were also in the negative trend totaling $1957.55 million with a 7.63 percent fall as well as 19.78 percent short of the target.

According to the EPB statistics, knitwear fetched the bulk of the earnings during the July-October period with $4058.42 million, representing a mere 0.90 percent growth over the same period (July-October) last year while woven garments earned $3694.24
million, a fall by 4.40 percent.

Export of home textiles totaled $235.69 million with a fall of 1.14 percent; leather footwear exports earned $ 169.47 million; primary commodities $474.20 million; frozen foods including frozen fish, shrimps and others $243.72 million; and agricultural products $230.48 million.

The export trend for leather products and plastic products except leather maintained their upward trend during the period.

Leather exports totaled $143.37 million while leather products $70.79 million; cotton and cotton products together earned $37.44 million; plastic and melamine products $ 36.41 million; while rubber exports came in the positive trend to total only $5.13 million.

During the four-month period, export of glass and glassware notched a staggering 1775 percent growth with $0.75 million, followed by tea notching a 48.61 percent growth with $1.07 million, cosmetics with
364.71 percent growth ($ 0.79 million).

Exports of jute and jute goods in July-October totaled $260.70 million, registering a 2.39 percent fall. Raw jute exports fetched $31.93 million with 12.28 percent decline; jute yarn and twine $169.37 million; jute sacks and bags $ 39.65 million; and other items brought in some $ 19.75 million.

Engineering products including iron and steel, bicycle and electronic products fetched almost $138.38 million.

Export of man-made filaments and staple fibers totaled $29.65 million while other manufactured products earned $43.30 million.

Export growth of ships, boats and floating structures notched a staggering 5600 percent growth in this four-month period bagging $3.42 million.

Export of handicrafts totaled $2.61 million; paper and paper products $12.23 million; furniture $9.21 million; chemical products $35.51 million; pharmaceuticals $24.05 million; and ores, slag and ash $3.45 million.

Specialised textiles including terry towel, special woven fabric and knitted fabrics marked a negative growth of 23.76 percent earning $30.84 million in July-October while export of petroleum byproducts showed negative trend fetching $ 22.04 million.