How to set ENVFILE in Terminal to generate Android Release APK?

I'm trying to build APK from command line in my React Native project. I've used react-native-config plugin to define my API URLs based on selected environment.

When I try to launch the app on emulator with the command (from Terminal), ENVFILE=.env.dev react-native run-android, app builds and launches properly.

But when I try to generate Release build using the command (from Terminal), ENVFILE=.env.dev && cd android && ./gradlew clean build, command fails with the log:

> Configure project :app
Reading env from: .env
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*** Missing .env file ****
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Question: How to build Release APK using ENVFILE from Terminal?