Use of man-made fiber is gradually increasing in the country’s readymade garment factories as demand from buyers for non-cotton apparels grows, industry insiders said. Such non-cotton yarn and fabric namely polyester and viscose are used in producing both knit and woven items, though they are largely used in knit items, especially for ladies items like lingerie, they said. Bangladesh imported 68,726 tonnes of polyester fibre in 2015, up from 51,729 tonnes in 2014, according to the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) data. The country also imported 29,542 tonnes of viscose fibre last year as against 18,846 tonnes the year earlier, the data showed. The import of polyester fibre stood at 42,229 tonnes, while viscose fibre imported 18,117 tonnes during the January to July period of 2016, according to the BTMA data. Fazlul Hoque, vice president of BTMA, said import of such man-made fibre has increased in recent years following the demands from buyers for apparel made of such non-cotton materials. Such garments are cheaper, but comfortable, fashionable and have shiny look, he explained. Mr Hoque, also managing director of Ishraq Textile Mills Ltd, said his unit used to produc cotton yarn spun by 200,000 spindles. “But now, 30,000 out of our total spindles now produce polyester fibre,” he said, adding a good number of local millers are also producing such raw materials. There are some 50 local textile mills that are currently producing non-cotton or man-made yarn and fabrics, according to the BTMA. Md Hatem, managing director of MB Knit Fashion, said polyester and viscose fibre are mostly used in making ladies items, especially lingerie. They are also used in manufacturing sportswear and T-shirts too, he said, adding the local demand for non-cotton yarn and fabric is mainly met through import, though some local textile millers are currently producing such fabric. Miran Ali, managing director of Remi Holdings Ltd, said one of their units located at Manikganj that produces jacket is fully dependent on man-made fibre for their production and they mainly import the raw materials. The demand for non-cotton items is gradually increasing worldwide, pushing apparel makers switching over producing apparel made of man-made fibre, Fazlul Hoque, a former president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said. Bangladesh mainly produces cotton-based apparel products, but in recent times local makers are also producing apparel of non-cotton raw materials though the volume is not so large, he noted. Polyester is used to make most forms of clothing like shirts, running shorts, track pants, windbreakers, and lingerie, while viscose is used in accessories, blouses, dresses, jackets, lingerie, linings, millinery, slacks, sport shirts, sportswear, suits, tie and work clothes, according to industry insiders. Bangladesh fetched $235.83 million from exports of lingerie items under HS Code 621210 in fiscal year 2014-15, which was 95.16 million in FY 2010-11, according to data available with the BKMEA. The country earned $244.49 million from exports of lingerie under HS Code 61,0821 in fiscal 2014-15, which was $172.64 million in the fiscal 2010-11, the data showed.
