Merchandise exports grew almost 10 percent year-on-year to $5.1 billion in March because of higher shipment of apparel products, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) released today.

Despite the 10 percent growth in March, shipment is still 0.88 percent short of the monthly target at $5.14 billion.

In the July-March period, the first nine months of the current fiscal year, exports fetched $43.55 billion, registering 4.39 percent year-on-year growth.