Dhaka, Oct. 4 -- The trade gap of Bangladesh widened more than 6.0 per cent to $4.56 billion in the July-August period from a year earlier, according to data from Bangladesh Bank.

The trend was also reflected in the current account balance, which fell further into the red, from $439 million in July to $1.5 billion by the end of August.

According to the monthly Balance of Payments data released by Bangladesh Bank on Monday, the import bills in the July-August period stood at $12.69 billion, a 16.96 per cent year-on-year increase from a year earlier.

"Exports also jumped by 23.91 per cent year-on-year, nearing $8.14 billion. The difference between the import spending and export earnings, known as the trade deficit, was $4.56 billion," bd...