Trousers become top apparel exports item accounting for more than 22 per cent of the country’s total readymade garment shipment of $28.09 billion in the last fiscal, industry insiders said. On the other hand, earnings from shirts remained almost stagnant with earnings ranging from $ 2.17 billion to $ 2.37 billion during the last three fiscal years, they added. The country fetched $6.31 billion from trousers, $6.11 billion from t-shirts followed by $3.77 billion from jackets, $3.18 billion from sweaters and $2.31 billion from shirts export in the just concluded fiscal year, according to data prepared by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. T-shirts accounted for 21.77 per cent, jackets 13.43 per cent, sweaters 11.32 per cent and shirts by 8.24 per cent respectively, the BGMEA data showed. The top five items fetched $21.71 billion, more than 77 per cent, out of the total $28.09 billion garment exports in the last fiscal, the data showed. Industry insiders claimed that manufacturers are now switching over to more value added products especially in the segment of trousers while the revised rules of origin by the European Union boosted the penetration. “There are so many changes taking place in making trousers, especially that of denim that helped earn more foreign currency,” Abdus Salam Murshedy, managing director of Envoy Group, told the FE. Trousers and t-shirts that became the top apparel export items indicated that Bangladesh has now been gradually producing medium and high-end products, he said. In denim making, the country successfully drew the attention of global buyers due to bringing variation in design and colour by using the latest technology in washing, he noted. “We are now producing fashionable and designed items,” he said, adding denim is the product of whole year, while the most other apparel products are seasonal. “In recent years, Bangladesh has emerged as a textile powerhouse for denim in terms of capacity, quality and lead time,” Mostafiz Uddin managing director of Denim Expert Ltd said. The company sells its own branded denim products ‘BlueXonly’ mainly in the Netherlands and some other European markets.Many have invested in setting up new denim units, he said. Earlier, Bangladesh used to produce basic t-shirts while now-a-days t-shirts are making with printing, embroidery and different visual effects are given through washing, Fazlul Hoque, former president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said. Fabrics are burnt for making lady’s t-shirt that has earned much popularity in recent times, he noted.
