Dhaka, May 4 -- Bangladesh's garment exports to the US, the country's largest export destination, fell by over 17 per cent year-on-year to $1.75 billion in January-March, according to the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), a body under the American Commerce Department.

The slump is evident in both the value and volume of exports.

US import figures show Bangladesh's key ready-made garment competitors China and Vietnam outperformed Bangladesh in the first quarter.

Exporters list a number of domestic issues like long lead times, inconsistent energy supplies and an overall high cost of doing business for their loss of export share in the US market.

These same factors, they say, give China and Vietnam an advantage in the American mark...