The country fetched $7.6 billion in the last fiscal surpassing the target by 2.2 percent. The targeted amount was $7.4 billion. Anticipating the growth, the government stuck to its original target without revising or slashing.

The highest export growth achieved in the last five years (from 1998-99 to 2002-03) was 12.43 percent in fiscal 2000-01, well short of this year's achievement.

"Price index of Bangladeshi products and export volume rose 3.82 and 12.28 percent in the last fiscal," EPB Director Towfique Khan Majles told The Daily Star yesterday.

He said the surge in export was mainly due to duty-free concession extended to Bangladeshi products in Canadian and Australian markets.

The products that registered growth in FY2003-04 over the previous year and crossed the strategic targets are woven garments, knitwear, frozen food, textile fabrics, ceramic tableware, engineering and agricultural products, home textiles, footwear and leather.

Export earnings from woven garments, knitwear and frozen foods -- major export items of the country-- witnessed 8.59 percent, 29.88 percent and 21.27 percent growth.

Woven garments fetched $3538.07 million (target $3500 million), knitwear $2148.02 million (target $1890 million) and frozen foods $390.25 million (target $370).

Among the other high performing items, export from engineering products witnessed a huge 224.32 percent growth, followed by home textiles with an 89.82 percent growth.

In 2003-04, engineering goods fetched $41.87 million, which was $2.85 million in 2002-03 while home textile exports rose to $135.49 million from $83.03 million.

Tea, chemical products, electronics and petroleum byproducts recorded growth in FY2003-04 compared to FY2002-03 but failed to achieve the targets.

Tea export was 1.19 percent behind the target, petroleum byproducts fell 40.29 percent short of goal and electronics goods trailed by 32.73 percent.

Export earnings from raw jute, bicycle, jute goods, handicrafts and computer software recorded negative growth in FY2003-04 and also failed to achieve the targets.

Among these low performing items, earnings from handicrafts declined by 29.41 percent, jute by 3.35 percent and jute products by 4.17 percent.

Among the other items, earnings from camera parts, acrylic yarn, golf shaft, cotton yarn, sports footwear, cigarettes, padding, polyester thread and leather bags increased during the FY2003-04 compared to the previous year.

On the other hand, earnings from tents, printed materials, zipper, corrugated cartons, jute footwear and luggage and fashion goods declined in 2003-04.

The government has fixed this fiscal year's export target at $8,565 million.