Exports for July to December, the first half of 2010/11 fiscal year, were up 41 percent at $10.26 billion from the same period in the previous year and were 17 percent above the target.
Earnings from knitted textiles in July to December rose 43 percent from the previous year to $4.3 billion, while woven garment earnings rose 41 percent to $3.6 billion.
Clothes account for 80 percent of Bangladesh's overseas sales. Orders are growing from key markets in the United States and Europe and new markets such as Turkey, Japan and South Africa.
Bangladesh's cheap labour costs have helped it join the global supply chain for low-end textiles and clothing.
Bangladesh has nearly doubled the minimum monthly wage for millions of workers in the garment industry to 3,000 taka ($43) but wages are still low compared with rivals such as China, India, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Bangladesh makes garments for international brands such as JC Penney , Wal-Mart , H&M , Kohl's , Marks & Spencer and Carrefour.
Garments is one of the main foreign exchange earners of Bangladesh's $90 billion economy along with remittances.
Exports rose 4.11 percent to $16.20 billion in the 2009/10 fiscal year that ended in June, but were below target.
The government expects exports to climb 14 percent this fiscal year to $18.5 billion as the global economy recovers. (Reuters)
