RMG exports to US jump 26% in Aug after first-half decline
The US is Bangladesh's single largest export market. In the fiscal 2025-26, Bangladesh exported more than $7.74 billion worth of RMG to the country.
Bangladesh's apparel exports to the US surged 25.65% year-on-year in August, despite a decline in shipments to the market during the first half of 2026.
According to data from the Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau, compiled by non-government organisation Bangladesh Apparel Voice, the country exported more than $817 million worth of ready-made garments to the US market in August.
In the first two months of the current fiscal year, July and August, Bangladesh's RMG exports to the US totalled $1.61 billion, up 11.42% year-on-year.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The US is Bangladesh's single largest export market. In the fiscal 2025-26, Bangladesh exported more than $7.74 billion worth of RMG to the country.
However, according to the latest statistics from the Office of Textiles and Apparel (Otexa) under the US Department of Commerce, Bangladesh's RMG exports to the US fell 5.75% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.
"We are seeing better order flows from the US market for the coming months than in the previous months."
Exporters cautiously optimistic
Exporters have mixed expectations about the market, with some remaining cautious while others are hopeful that shipments will recover in the coming months if geopolitical tensions do not worsen and Bangladesh's energy supply improves.
Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, managing director of Chattogram-based RMG exporter HKC Apparels Ltd, which sends 90% of its exports to the US market, told The Business Standard, "We are seeing better order flows from the US market for the coming months than in the previous months."
He added. "We hope the market will rebound, provided geopolitical tensions do not escalate further and the country's gas and electricity supply situation improves."
Abdullah Hil Nakib, deputy managing director of Team Group, a leading RMG exporter whose exports to the US account for about one-fourth of its total exports, said, "The US market scenario is still not optimistic. It is not like a normal scenario."
Mohiuddin Rubel, CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Voice, said if the current pace of exports is maintained throughout the 12 months, Bangladesh's RMG exports to the US could reach nearly $9 billion in FY27.
