Garment exports to non-traditional markets declined by 3.19 percent year-on-year to $2.67 billion in the July–November period of the current fiscal year.

Due to higher reciprocal tariffs in the USA, other major players are exporting higher volumes of garment items to non-traditional markets, which is why exports from Bangladesh declined, local exporters said.

Bangladesh considers all markets as non-traditional or emerging markets except the EU, the USA, Canada and the UK, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau, compiled by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

During the same period, Bangladesh's RMG exports to the USA rose 3.06 percent year-on-year to $3.22 billion, representing 19.98 percent of total apparel shipments.

Exports to Canada and the United Kingdom also showed positive momentum, posting year-on-year growth of 6.51 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

Around $554.47 million worth of garments were shipped to Canada, while $1.85 billion went to the United Kingdom.

The EU remained Bangladesh's largest export destination for RMG, accounting for 48.57 percent of total exports in this category.

Export earnings from the EU stood at $7.83 billion, down 1.03 percent year-on-year.

According to EPB data, overall apparel exports in the July–November period reached $16.13 billion, reflecting a 0.09 percent increase compared to the previous year.

In terms of product category performance within the RMG basket, knitwear recorded a 1 percent decrease, indicating modest but stable performance.

Woven garments performed comparatively better, posting a 1.44 percent increase during the period.