Exports rose sharply month-on-month, yet factory closures, weak spinning margins and global demand uncertainty continue to weigh on the sector.
Bangladesh’s textile and garment exports jumped in November, offering a brief respite for a sector grappling with falling year-on-year earnings and mounting operational stress. Total exports reached $4.78 billion, up 27% from October, while apparel shipments rose 28% to $4.05 billion on the back of winter orders and recovering demand in key markets.
The improvement, however, masks underlying weakness. Export receipts were still 6% lower than a year earlier, reflecting soft consumption in the West, elevated inflation, and cautious retail stocking.
Policy support offered a modest boost. Bangladesh Bank expanded export-incentive eligibility to subcontracted production, a move expected to help small factories, improve capacity utilisation, and offer flexibility amid uneven order flows.
Spinning mills remained the sector’s biggest pressure point. High cotton prices, dollar shortages, rising interest rates and idle capacity have pushed many mills to the edge. Industry associations warned that severe distress in spinning could force the garment sector to rely more heavily on imported yarn, increasing FX exposure and weakening backward linkages.
Sustainability priorities also gained ground. With more than half a million tonnes of textile waste generated annually, analysts argue that scaling fibre-to-fibre recycling could reduce import dependency and position Bangladesh more competitively with brands pursuing circularity.
Looking ahead, firms are preparing for Techtextil and Texprocess 2026 to showcase higher-value technical textiles and performance fabrics — a shift seen as essential as traditional apparel markets become more price-competitive.
Despite November’s rebound, the sector faces a delicate outlook. Export performance in early 2026 will hinge on Western holiday sell-through, global inflation trends and the government’s ability to stabilise spinning and strengthen domestic value chains.
