Dhaka, June 9 -- Bangladesh's trade deficit has widened further in the first 10 months of the ongoing fiscal year as imports increased and export earnings declined, pushing the merchandise trade gap to $22.21 billion.

The deficit was nearly 22 percent higher than in the same period a year earlier.

The ousted Sheikh Hasina government had taken a series of measures to curb import spending amid a dollar shortage, helping reduce imports and narrow the trade deficit in FY2023-24.

The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus largely continued the same approach, keeping the deficit on a downward trend in FY2024-25.

However, a sharp fall in export earnings has since reversed that trend.

Bangladesh Bank on Monday published Balance of Payments...