Khulna earns Tk 5cr from jute, fish export: EPB

KHULNA, July 25: A total of Tk 4,886.18 crore has been earned in the 2025-26 fiscal year (FY) by exporting jute, jute goods, shrimp, vegetables, and garment items from the Khulna region. In the 2024-25 FY, Tk 5,971.40 crore has been earned from the region.

The export has decreased this fiscal slightly due to the US-Iran War and other commercial barriers imposed by various countries, sources from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) in Khulna told on Saturday.

The EPB data showed that a total of 10,019.80 tonnes of frozen shrimp were exported during the 2025-’26 FY, earning Tk 84.04 crore. The data also showed that Tk 458.19 crore was earned from fresh white fish, Tk 2,493.84 crore from jute goods, Tk 217.93 crore from raw jute, Tk 9.24 crore from crab, Tk 60.59 crore from garments items, and Tk 1,562.35 crore from areca nuts export. Apart from this, the export of other fish like “Kuchia” (eel fish), vegetables, and fruits has also increased.

Zeenat Ara, Director of Khulna EPB, told The Daily Observer on Thursday that the improvement of the global economy, the nearly stable state of the foreign currency, and the return of the glorious image of Bangladesh abroad were behind the increase in exports. “Exports dropped this FY due to manifold reasons, including closing government jute mills, shrimp factories during the fallen regime,” she said.

The ban imposed on jute goods trading through roads by a neighbouring country is also another cause for dropping exports, she said, adding that businessmen are not showing interest due to the increase in transportation costs through other export routes.

Md Abdul Baki, ex-vice president of Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA), said that Khulna businessmen think that exports of shrimp, jute, jute goods, and other products are being increased as the environment-friendly business atmosphere is prevailing in the country. “There were 63 shrimp processing factories in Khulna. Of them, 31 remained closed due to decreasing production and demand in international markets in the 2023-’24 fiscal,” he said.

When contacted, Sharif Fazlur Rahman, a jute trader and ex-vice-president of Bangladesh Jute Association (BJA), said the export of raw jute and jute goods are soaring in the global markets, creating its bright prospects in Khulna.