Dhaka, Jan 6 (IANS): Bangladesh's total exports in the first half of the current 2019-20 fiscal year (July 2019-June 2020) reached over $19 billion, down 5.84 per cent year on year, official data revealed on Monday.

According to the country's Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data, Bangladesh fetched $19,302.16 million from exports in the first six months of the current fiscal year, reports Xinhua news agency.

The EPB data showed export performance for December was $3.53 billion, 2.89 per cent lower than that in the same month a year ago.

A Bureau official said overall export income plunged as earnings from garment items have been experiencing slowdown for months.

Readymade garment exports from Bangladesh fell by 6.21 per cent to about $16 billion in the first half of the current 2019-20 fiscal year, said the official.

Bangladesh set its export target in 2019-20 fiscal year at $45.50 billion, including $38.20 billion from ready-made garment products, the EPB data showed.