Textile industry saw a little fresh investment for setting up new industries except in expansion and modernisation of the existing units though there is a growing demand for woven products in local and export market.The industry owners lament that land scarcity, non approval for captive power plant, energy crisis and delaying process in getting boiler and other permissions are responsible behind no new investments.Currently Bangladesh’s weaving and spinning mills are capable of supplying 40 per cent of the woven against demand by readymade garment export industry and the rest 60 per cent of the high tech woven fabrics are being imported by the RMG exporters in the mean time almost cent per cent demand for knitwear fabrics are met locally.Mohammad Ali Khokon, Vice President of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) while talking to the Daily Observer said despite demand the growth is slow but Bangladesh is adding new dimensions to its products range which were once imported for export based readymade garment industry.He said some state of the art woven fabrics are being imported as Bangladesh does not manufacture them due to its huge investment costs. He said China, Korea and other countries do manufacture them as they have developed their own as well as export market for such products.The BTMA leader said, “Our spinning mills are producing different types of yarns both for meeting woven and knitwear demands”, and added but the spinning sector is facing stiff competition due to fluctuation of raw cotton in the international market.Firoz Ahmed, a senior BTMA office bearer, said there are various designs and structure oriented woven fabric in the current market and Bangladesh is producing many of them.
