← Government Watch

Export Promotion Bureau

department · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head
Mohammad Hasan Arif
Role
Vice-Chairman
Annual budget
—
Staff
—
Established
1977
Legal basis
Export Promotion Bureau Ordinance, 1977 (Ordinance No. IX of 1977), updated and revised under Export Promotion Bureau Act, 2015. Origin traces to the Export Promotion organization formed in East Pakistan in 1962; reconstituted by government proclamations of 20 August and 8 November 1975 and then formally established under the 1977 Ordinance.

EPB data show a sharp April 2026 rebound (+32.92% YoY, $4.00 billion) ending eight months of decline, but cumulative FY2025-26 exports (July-April) remain 2.02% below the prior year at $39.39 billion. RMG continues to dominate at roughly 80% of total exports ($31.72 billion July-April). EPB is simultaneously coordinating market intelligence for the US-Bangladesh Reciprocal Trade Agreement (19% tariff, duty-free for US-cotton RMG) and serving as the lead statistics agency for Bangladesh's LDC graduation Smooth Transition Strategy ahead of the November 24, 2026 graduation date.

Recent activity

Provenance & notes

EPB was originally established under the Export Promotion Bureau Ordinance, 1977 (Ordinance No. IX of 1977), tracing its institutional origin to an Export Promotion cell created in East Pakistan in 1962 and reconstituted by government proclamations of August and November 1975. The governing legal framework was updated by the Export Promotion Bureau Act, 2015. EPB is headquartered in Dhaka with regional offices in Chittagong, Khulna, and Rajshahi. The head of EPB carries the title Vice-Chairman (also referred to as CEO). Mohammad Hasan Arif (Additional Secretary) took office as Vice-Chairman on 15 September 2025, succeeding Md. Anwar Hossain (who held the role from 30 June 2024 and was also appointed BGMEA Administrator during his tenure). head_since is set to 2025-09-15 per Apparel Resources reporting; exact date not confirmed from EPB's own website at time of construction, so treat as partial on that field. Staff count and annual BDT budget are not publicly disaggregated in accessible primary sources; set to null. The RMG-share figure of approximately 80% for July-April FY2025-26 is derived from EPB's own data ($31.72 billion RMG / $39.39 billion total = 80.5%); the April-only figure of 78.5% ($3.14B / $4.00B) is cross-checked across Daily Star and BSS. The US-Bangladesh Reciprocal Trade Agreement (signed February 9, 2026) remains pending parliamentary ratification; duty-free mechanism for US-cotton RMG is the key commercial provision EPB will track for future export data. Bangladesh's LDC graduation date is November 24, 2026; the EU's three-year EBA grace period runs to November 2029, after which GSP+ eligibility must be secured.

Sources