DHAKA:  Due to rise of export in garments sector, country’s overall export rose 6.36 percent in February as political turmoil eased after the January 5 general election.

Sources from Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) said in the first eight months of the financial year, beginning on July 1, the amount of export was about $19.83 billion, up nearly 14 percent from the same period of the last year.

Garment exports were up 16.7 percent to $16.7 billion for the eight months, EPB sources added.

Vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) Shahidullah Azim said, “Orders are coming as the political situation has improved but the pace is slow.”

He also said: “We want a fair price from international buyers as production costs have gone up with a 77 percent rise in basis wages for workers and for extensive safety improvements.”

According to the BGMEA, country’s garment industry had seen orders cut nearly in half in the three months to December as due to the political unrest centering January 5 general elections.

BDST: 1620 HRS, MAR 10, 2014