Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has put forward a nine-point proposal to protect the local ready-made garment (RMG) sector from the curse of coronavirus. The proposal included the rescheduling of bank loans of garment owners with a 7.0-per cent interest rate. BGMEA made the proposal at a view-exchange meeting held at its Chattogram regional office on Sunday. The local ready-made garment (RMG) sector has been hit hard by the novel viral strain globally, said the leaders of the apex garment association. The RMG sector is in crisis due to coronavirus pandemic. RMG supply chain is severely hampered for the reason, they added. “If the crisis lingers,” they said, “RMG exports will get hampered for long. So, the eight-year bank loans of garment owners should be rescheduled with 7.0-per cent interest rate.” The meeting took a nine-point proposal to start talks with ministries concerned very soon. The proposals include government intervention in payment of wages and bonus on Eid, package facility for losing industries, time extension for paying gas and power bills, ending harassment of garment owners and cutting reliance on China for importing accessories. The meeting decided to start advocacy with the government to fix the current crisis in the RMG sector. BGMEA first vice-president Mohammed Abdus Salam chaired the meeting where vice-president AM Chowdhury and directors Mohammed Musa, Anjan Shekhor Das, Mohammed Atik, Khondakar Belayet Hossain and Enamul Aziz Chowdhury spoke. Former leaders SM Fazlul Haque, Khalilur Rahman, Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, Mainuddin Ahamed Mintu, Mohammed Ferdous, AKM Saleh Uddin, Sajedul Islam, Helal Uddin Chowdhury, Emdadul Haque Chowdhury, ANM Saifuddin, among others, also spoke.
