The United States imported apparel worth USD 5.71 billion from Bangladesh during the last seven months of this year.
Demand for Made in Bangladesh clothing is increasing in the United States. The country's apparel imports from Bangladesh have increased a lot within the span of a year.
The USA’s official data source ‘Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA)’ released the latest apparel import statistics of the USA for the period of January-July, 2022.
According to OTEXA, USA’s apparel import from Bangladesh increased by 54.43 percent compared to the corresponding period of 2021 whereas their import from the world grew by 39.06 percent.
China remains the top apparel import source for the USA registering 40.01 percent year-over-year growth during the mentioned period. USA’s imports from China stood at USD 12.79 billion in this period while the US imports from Vietnam reached USD 10.91 billion with 35.30 percent year-over-year growth.
Other countries such as Indonesia, India, Cambodia, South Korea, and Pakistan also posted significant import growth during the same period.
When contacted Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Director Mohiuddin Rubel told Bangladesh Post, "The surge in USA’s import is caused by recovery from the pandemic and increased shopping by consumers resulting in retail sales growth. However, the upward trend might not sustain in the fourth quarter of 2022 due to inflation at historic level, raise in Fed rates, downturn in economic growth than projections and anticipated recession. Unusual long summer may also affect winter clothing range."
"However, we observed that Bangladesh’s total export maintained significant growth until August 2022, which means the US imports from Bangladesh might keep on positive trend till September, and may falter afterwards as retail sales is affected by economic turmoil and buyers’ caution about overstock and current production," he added.
