Salehuddin Ahmed, an adviser to the interim administration on the Ministries of Finance and Commerce, stated that a prediction will be prepared following establishing the target for export earnings, and that Bangladesh’s export statistics would soon be reconciled.

‘We’ve discussed a wide range of issues including export data as there were something between the export data of EPB and ASYCUDA (NBR). I’ve asked them (EPB) to finally reconcile the export data; it will be done as soon as possible. I’ve also asked them (EPB) to project,’ he told the reporters at his ministry.

Salehuddin, also the adviser to the interim government on the Ministry of Science and Technology, said that the EPB’s board meeting would be held soon, at which all things would be finalised.

He informed that the EPB officials were working on finalising the export target and data reconciliation while all issues were likely to be approved there at the board meeting.

Salehuddin said that there was a gap between the export data of the Bangladesh Bank and the ASYCUDA of the National Board of Revenue while the final data was being reconciled.

On 3rd July, the Bangladesh Bank released data of the Balance of Payments for July-April period of fiscal year 2023-24. It used draft reconciled export data, which showed the country’s exports were nearly US $ 14 billion below the figure reported earlier by the Export Promotion Bureau.

It showed that exports fell 6.8 per cent during the July-April period although the EPB initially reported 3.93 per cent growth.

Asked whether the reconciled export would have any impact on the GDP calculation, the adviser said that the GDP calculation was usually based on the production method where some 19 sectors were associated.