DHAKA: Bangladesh recorded a trade surplus for the very first time since independence.

The trade surplus was recorded for this year’s July, officials said Tuesday, reports the shanghaidaily.com on Tuesday.

It said that Bangladesh Bank (BB) senior spokesman GM Abul Kalam Azad told media that the country has been running a trade deficit since its Independence in 1971, four decades ago.

"Bangladesh recorded a trade surplus of 195 million U.S. dollars in July," he added.

However, the country's import payment was 2.770 billion US dollars in the first month of 2014-15 fiscal year (July 2014-June 2015) while earning from export was 2.965 billion US dollars during the same period, the BB data showed.

Official statistics showed the country's imports in the first month of 2014-15 fiscal year plunged by 11.36 percent from that of 2013-14 fiscal year, while year-on-year exports also slide 1.03 percent in the same period.

The BB data also showed that the country's trade deficit in July of 2013-14 fiscal year (July 2013-June 2014) was estimated at 129 million U.S. dollars.

BDST: 1057 HRS, SEP 24, 2014