Bangladesh is becoming an emerging market to source home textiles which showed up on the list of top shipped items to most of its major markets.
According to data obtained from the Export Promotion Bureau, Bangladesh shipped a net total of US $ 878 million worth of home textiles during the fiscal 2017-18, which marked an impressive 10 per cent gain compared to 2016-17. It was slightly lower (0.15 per cent) against the strategic export target set at US $ 880 million.
Further analysis of Apparel Resources shows, the most shipped items among home textiles were in the bed, kitchen and toilet categories – which fetched US $ 528 million during the fiscal, marking over 12 per cent gain. Other goods of home textiles fetched US $ 349 million during this time, witnessing over 6.7 per cent gain compared to 2016-17.
However, the trend did not continue till July 2018 as expected. During this month, home textiles fetched US $ 66 million – what was 3.6 per cent gain compared to July 2017. Textiles in the line of bed, kitchen and toilet performed rather disappointingly, fetching US $ 43 million; down by 5.8 per cent on a year-to-year basis. Other lines of home textiles fetched US $ 22.7 million – up by a whopping 28 per cent.
It is to be noted that Bangladesh Government is eyeing an export target of US $ 940 million, for the fiscal 2018-19.
Also, during last fiscal, home textiles emerged as the third-most exported item to the markets of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Japan, Belgium, Australia, China and Russia.
