RMG export earnings in the first nine months of the 2017-18 financial year (FY) amounted to $ 22.83 billion, registering a growth of 9.11 per cent over the same period of FY 2016-17 which was $ 22.83 billion, marking a strong return of big apparel shipments. Explaining the reason behind the 9.11 per cent growth in the readymade garment (RMG) sector, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers\’ and Exporters\’ Association president Siddiqur Rahman told The Independent, “The five months from October to January in FY (2017–18). because we started exporting upper-end products to Japan rather than bulk products.”