DHAKA, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Bangladesh's exports in August surged 20.28 percent from a year earlier to $1.358 billion thanks to a rise in apparel sales, Export Promotion Bureau data showed on Tuesday.
Export earnings in July-August, the first two months of the 2008/09 financial year, grew 42.85 percent to $2.9 billion.
Bangladesh's exports have been led by garments, especially knitwear, since global export quotas were phased out at the end of 2004.
Exports hit a record $14.11 billion in the last financial year that ended in June 2008, of which almost 10.7 billion came from garments.
Bangladesh has set a $16.298 billion export target for the year to June 2009. The projected target for knitwear is $6.58 billion, up 19 percent from the last fiscal year. The target for woven garments is $5.68 billion, up 10 percent.
Analysts said Bangladesh's exports are unlikely to be dampened by the global financial crisis but a prolonged worldwide downturn could reduce demand for the country's exports.