Exports of jute and jute goods to India slumped by 47.62 per cent in the first half of the current fiscal year (2017-18) compared with that in the same period of last fiscal year (2016-2017) from the shock of anti-dumping duty India imposed on Bangladeshi jute products in January last year.Export earnings from jute and jute goods slipped to $55.81 million in July-December of FY18 from $106.54 million in the same period of FY17, according to the latest data of the Export Promotion Bureau.The overall exports to India, however, increased by 5.84 per cent to $361.91 million in the period from that of $341.45 million in the corresponding period riding on the growth of readymade garment export, the data showed.RMG, both knit and woven, exports jumped by 66 per cent in July-December of FY18.Demand for Bangladeshi apparel products, particularly woven, increased in the country.Bangladesh exported apparel products worth $111.32 million in the first six months of this fiscal year against $66.88 million in the same period of last fiscal year.Of which, export earnings from woven items reached to $74.78 million in July-December of FY18 from $46.25 million in the same period of FY17.Knitwear products export increased to $36.54 million from $20.63 million.According to the EPB data, the overall global exports of jute and jute goods from Bangladesh, however, rose by 21.48 per cent to $574.06 million in the period of this fiscal year from that of $472.57 million in the corresponding period of last fiscal year following a big jump in export to Turkey.Exports of jute and jute goods to Turkey grew by 65 per cent in the period as export earnings from the items from the country increased to $134 million from $81 million.Globally, exports of jute yarn and jute sacks/bags grew by 33.31 per cent and 6.21 per cent respectively while raw jute exports witnessed a negative growth of 19.83 per cent in the period.Exporters and officials said that imposition of anti-dumping duty on Bangladeshi jute goods mainly jute yarn/twine, hessian fabric and jute sacking bags had hit hard the export earnings from India.India on January 5, 2017 imposed the duty ranging from $6.30 to $351.72 a tonne on import of jute products from Bangladesh for the next five years following an investigation of India’s Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties for an alleged dumping of the products in the Indian market by Bangladeshi exporters.On the other hand, demand for jute products in Indian market fell as the country has recently decided to produce and import high-grade lighter jute goods.Abdul Barik Khan, secretary of the Bangladesh Jute Mills Association, on Monday told New Age that the key reason for the fall in export earnings from India was the imposition of the duty which made the Bangladeshi jute goods costly in the country.The government now can seek review of the duty as per law, he said.There is a provision of seeking review after one year of imposition of anti-dumping duty. According to the EPB data, exports of jute sacks, bags and packaging goods dropped to $1.834 million in July-December of FY18 from $14.263 million in the same period of FY17.Export of jute yarn/twine and hessian fabric also declined significantly.Though India did not impose the anti-dumping duty on raw jute, export earnings from the item also dropped to $25.15 million from $47.47 million.
