Bangladesh apparel exports to the U.S. down by 4.22 percent in year to date

Bangladesh's garment export to the U.S. have fallen by 4.22 percent in the 10 months into October this year. Meanwhile, other markets such as China, India and Vietnam have taken its largest export’s destination.

The country's apparel shipment to its single largest export destination declined 4.22 percent year-on-year to 4.54 billion dollars, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Considering the garment export growth to the US, Bangladesh now stands at sixth behind China, Vietnam, India, Pakistan and Mexico whereas the country's used to be ranked third to fourth in 2016.

Similarly, Indonesia, South Korea and China also experienced a fall in the volume of garments exported the U.S. China exported 0.58 percent last than the previous comparable period, shipping 32.89 billion dollars’ worth of garments to the U.S.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's export fell 2.85 percent to 4.09 billion dollars and South Korea's 3.71 percent to 733 million dollars.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, India enjoyed a 3.44 percent increase in the volume of garments shipped to the U.S. valued at 6.36 billion dollars. Vietnam's exports also rose 7.07 percent to 10.36 billion dollars. Also on the rise were Pakistan (+1.74 percent to 2.31 billion dollars) and Mexico, with a 7.64 percent increase (up to 3.99 billion dollars.)

Siddiqur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, explained recently that American retail powerhouses such as GAP and Walmart have recently shifted some work orders to India because of quicker lead-times, which is also responsible for the fall in the garment exports to the US.