Trousers are the top apparel exports item accounting for more than 22 per cent of Bangladesh's total readymade garment (RMG) shipment at $28.09 billion in the last fiscal. On the other hand, earnings from shirts remained almost stagnant at $2.17 billion to $2.37 billion during the last three fiscal years.

Bangladesh earned $6.31 billion from trousers, $6.11 billion from T-shirts followed by $3.77 billion from jackets, $3.18 billion from sweaters and $2.31 billion from shirts export in last fiscal year, reveals statistics from Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). The data showed T-shirts accounted for 21.77 per cent, jackets 13.43 per cent, sweaters 11.32 per cent and shirts by 8.24 per cent respectively. The top five items fetched $21.71 billion, more than 77 per cent, out of the total $28.09 billion garment exports in the last fiscal, the data showed.

According to industry insiders, manufacturers are now switching over to more value added products especially in the segment of trousers while the revised rules of origin by the European Union boosted the penetration.