Bangladesh’s garment industry is expanding its market reach beyond the traditional US and European markets, focusing on the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have seen a significant rise in garment exports in the last financial year.
The industry, which accounts for 80% of the country’s exports and employs four million people, has been hit by a decline in sales in traditional markets since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting a reorientation of the promotion strategy.
The country made $42.6 billion between July 2021-June 2022 from garment exports, with the EU and the US being the largest markets. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association’s data reveals a surge in exports to the Gulf, with sales to Saudi Arabia rising by 40% to $125 million and to the UAE up by 21% to $183 million.
The country is positioning itself to capture the Middle East’s substantial apparel imports, with China and India being the major suppliers currently. The presence of a considerable number of Bangladeshi workers in the Gulf region presents another opportunity to promote and introduce Bangladeshi products.
