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চার ক্ষেত্রে দক্ষতার ঘাটতি নিয়ে চলছে তৈরি পোশাক কারখানা

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RMG Bangladesh
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তৈরি পোশাক কারখানায় মোটাদাগে চারটি জায়গায় কর্মীদের মধ্যে দক্ষতার ঘাটতি আছে। সেগুলো হলো, সেলাই মেশিন অপারেটর, মান পরিদর্শক ও নিয়ন্ত্রক, প্রিন্টিং মেশিন অপারেটর ও এমব্রয়ডারি মেশিন অপারেটর। এই চার শ্রেণিতে ৫০ থেকে ৭৫ শতাংশের মতো দক্ষতার ঘাটতি আছে।

আজ বাংলাদেশ উন্নয়ন গবেষণা প্রতিষ্ঠান (বিআইডিএস) আয়োজিত দুই দিনব্যাপী গবেষণা সম্মেলনের সকালের প্রথম অধিবেশনে তৈরি পোশাক খাতের দক্ষতার ঘাটতি নিয়ে পরিচালিত গবেষণার ওপর উপস্থাপনায় এ কথা বলা হয়। গবেষণায় পাওয়া তথ্য উপস্থাপনা করেন বিআইডিএস গবেষক রিজওয়ানা ইসলাম।

রিজওয়ানা ইসলাম ১১৯টি নিট ও ওভেন কারখানার ওপর গবেষণাটি করেছেন।
গবেষণায় বলা হয়েছে, তৈরি পোশাক খাতে উৎপাদন পর্যায়ে তুলনামূলক দক্ষতার ঘাটতি কম, কিন্তু ব্যবস্থাপক পর্যায়ে ঘাটতি বেশি। পোশাক কারখানামালিকেরা যে ধরনের কর্মী চান, সেই ধরনের লোক পাওয়া যায় না। গবেষণায় আরও পাওয়া গেছে, পোশাক খাতে কর্ম খালি হলে এক সপ্তাহের মধ্যে তিন–চতুর্থাংশ কারখানায় তা পূরণ হয়ে যায়, কিন্তু দক্ষ কর্মী পাওয়া কঠিন।

সকালের অধিবেশনে বিভিন্ন খাতে দক্ষতার ঘাটতি নিয়ে আলোচনা হয়। গুলশানের এক হোটেলে অনুষ্ঠিত সেই অধিবেশনে সভাপতির দায়িত্ব পালন করেন স্কিল ফর এমপ্লয়মেন্ট ইনভেস্টমেন্ট কর্মসূচির উপনির্বাহী প্রকল্প পরিচালক সানোয়ার জাহান চৌধুরী।

বিশেষ আলোচক হিসেবে ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের উন্নয়ন অধ্যয়ন বিভাগের অধ্যাপক শুভাশীষ বড়ুয়া বলেন, পোশাকসহ বিভিন্ন খাতে যে মজুরি দেওয়া হয়, তা সংসার চালানোর জন্য পর্যাপ্ত নয়। তাই একজন কর্মী দীর্ঘদিন এক প্রতিষ্ঠানে থাকেন না। মজুরি বাড়ানোর পাশাপাশি যদি স্বাস্থ্যসেবা ও স্বাস্থ্যবিমা সুবিধা দেওয়া যেত, তাহলে কর্মীরা দীর্ঘদিন একই প্রতিষ্ঠানে থাকতেন। তিনি কর্মীদের দক্ষতা বৃদ্ধির ওপর জোর দেন।

অনুষ্ঠানের আরেক আলোচক ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের অর্থনীতি বিভাগের অধ্যাপক সায়েমা হক বলেন, বাজেটে যখন বিভিন্ন খাতে প্রণোদনা দেওয়া হয়, তখন প্রণোদনা পাওয়ার শর্ত হিসেবে দক্ষতা উন্নয়নের বিষয়টি জুড়ে দিলে ভালো ফল পাওয়া যাবে। এ ছাড়া চাহিদা অনুযায়ী গুণগত মানসম্পন্ন শিক্ষা দক্ষতার ঘাটতি পূরণে বড় সহায়ক হিসেবে কাজ করতে পারে।

আজ সকালের অধিবেশনে আরও তিনটি গবেষণার ওপর উপস্থাপনা করা হয়। এর একটি হলো হালকা প্রকৌশল ও ইলেকট্রনিক খাত। সেখানে বলা হয়েছে, এই দুই ধরনের শিল্পে কর্মরত চার ভাগের তিন ভাগ শ্রমিকের কাজের সঙ্গে পড়াশোনার মিল নেই। প্রায় ৭৬ শতাংশ শ্রমিকের এই অবস্থা। আর ৭৪ শতাংশ শ্রমিকের নির্দিষ্ট ডিগ্রি নেই।

হালকা প্রকৌশল ও ইলেকট্রনিক—এই দুই খাতের ওপর গবেষণা করেন বিআইডিএস গবেষক কাজী ইকবাল ও মারুফ আহমেদ। কাজী ইকবাল এই বিষয়ে বলেন, দক্ষতার অভাব আছে এই খাতে, ঘাটতি পূরণে প্রকৃত শিক্ষায় নজর দিতে হবে।

বিআইডিএসের আরেক গবেষক হারুনুর রশিদ চামড়া ও পাদুকা খাত নিয়ে একটি গবেষণা উপস্থাপনা করেন। তাতে তিনি বলেন, এই খাতের ৫০ শতাংশের বেশি কর্মী জানিয়েছেন, তাঁরা দক্ষতার অভাব বোধ করেন। একজন কর্মীকে এই খাতে কিছুটা দক্ষ করে প্রস্তুত করতে কমপক্ষে এক মাস সময় লাগে। এই খাতের নতুন প্রযুক্তির সঙ্গে খাপ খাওয়াতে শ্রমিকদের দক্ষতার প্রয়োজন।

অন্যদিকে কৃষি প্রক্রিয়াজাতকরণ খাত নিয়ে গবেষণার তথ্য উপস্থাপন করেন বিআইডিএসের গবেষক কাশফি রায়ান। তিনি বলেন, এই খাতের ৪৭ শতাংশ শ্রমিকের দক্ষতার ঘাটতি আছে। কৃষি প্রক্রিয়াজাতকরণ খাতে সরকারি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ডিগ্রিধারীরা উচ্চপদে নিয়োগ পান। বেসরকারি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ডিগ্রিধারীদের এ ক্ষেত্রে অংশগ্রহণ কম। মধ্যম পর্যায়ে চাকরি পান জাতীয় বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ডিগ্রিধারীরা।

কাশফি রায়ান আরও বলেন, খাদ্য প্রক্রিয়াজাতকরণের বিষয়ে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় পর্যায়ে কারিগরি শিক্ষার প্রয়োজন। এই খাতের বিপুল সম্ভাবনা রয়েছে বলে মত দেন এই গবেষক।

Despite investing in sustainable denim, manufacturers yet to receive fair price

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RMG Bangladesh
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Manufacturers having to bear costs associated with lowering water and carbon emissions

According to industry sources, the country’s denim manufacturers are still not getting a fair price from its global buyers, despite investing heavily in sustainable denim manufacturing.

They have currently reduced the amount of water used for washing per kg of denim to 10 litres from 360 litres. 

They were speaking on Monday at the 14th edition of Bangladesh Denim Expo 2023 and the expo’s sideline in the capital. 

They also stated that climate change is a concern for everyone, but the manufacturers are having to bear the costs associated with lowering water and carbon emissions.

Denim manufacturers expect that the situation will change if they will be able to create awareness among consumers across the world.

Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Mostafiz Uddin, founder of the Bangladesh Denim Expo said that climate change is a global crisis and sustainable apparel’s expense should be shared-based among the manufacturers, brands and retailers.

“But still all expenses are being borne by the manufacturers. The manufacturers should increase the price to sustain sustainable apparel, to save the world,” he added. 

They took the initiative because consumers in the western world also want that the garment they wear is made to comply with sustainable practices as well as use less water in washing and less power consumption.

At the sideline of the event, Tanvir Hossain, project manager of Spanish brand Jeanologia, said many of the local denim producers in Bangladesh are using nine liters of water for washing a pair of jeans using ozone and laser technologies.

However, the majority of the denim fabrics producers are using between 15 litres and 30 litres of water for washing the denim fabrics in Bangladesh, he added. 

Jeanologia supplied laser technology to more than 800 factories in Bangladesh.

Previously the millers were not aware of the overuse of water in Bangladesh but now they are aware and using less water and fewer chemicals for washing the denim, he added.

Hossain also said the high inflation in Europe because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has been affecting business as the sales of machinery slowed down.

Brant Tong, sales manager of XDD Textile from Vietnam said business is slow now because of inflation. 

Business might pick up after six months as the global crisis may come down in the major export destinations in the western world.

“We are using less water for dyeing and washing the denim fabrics with the use of modern technologies,” he said.

Alice Tonello, managing director of Tonello of Italy also said the garment business is down in Europe now because of high inflation from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Consumers have changed a lot after the Covid-19 pandemic as now they like to spend more on tourism and other experiences rather than spending more money on garment items.

Tonello, who mainly supplies the technologies of washing and dyeing, also said the Bangladeshi millers reduced water consumption significantly with the use of technologies.

Denim manufacturers said though they have yet to get better prices despite huge investments to set up high-technology machinery to reduce carbon and water consumption, they will continue the initiatives, whether brands increase prices or not. 

They believed that as western consumers are highly concerned about climate change, the move will bring something good after a certain period. 

Azizur R Chowdhury, managing director of JM Fabrics, said: “We are manufacturing sustainable apparel but still the consumers are not informed about it. That’s why we need to take some steps such as road shows in the export destination countries, exhibitions, etc.”

When we receive the ‘Sustainable apparel manufacturer’ tag, brands are bound to pay more thanks to customers’ pressure.”

At the panel discussion, Pacific Jeans Director Sayed Mohammad Tahmir said: “It is true that we are not getting better prices even after a huge transformation, the move will bring something good one day. We are waiting for the time and investing in sustainable apparel.” 

The 14th edition of the Denim Expo has been going on at the ICCB since Monday, organized by Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE).

Over 90 local and international exhibitors are attending the event to display fabrics, garments, threads, machinery, finishing equipment and accessories.

BGMEA, Commerce Ministry sign MoU to train local fashion designers in high-value garments

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RMG Bangladesh
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The Ministry of Commerce of the Government of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to create a pool of skilled fashion professionals and designers who will work on developing high-value fashionable garments using homegrown fabrics and materials.   

The training initiative is a part of the High End Fashion Project (Linking Bangladesh’s Heritage Material to the International Export Market) under EIF Export Diversification & Competitiveness Development Project (TIER 2). 

As per the understanding, Bangladeshi textile professionals including designers, pattern markers, merchandisers, weavers of indigenous textile materials and fashion and textile students will be provided with training in the development and designing of high-end fashionable garments blending local culture and heritage. 

The training will be conducted under the Centre of Innovation, Efficiency and Occupational Safety and Health (CIEOSH) of BGMEA where a total of 160 professionals will receive intensive training on Bangladesh’s opportunity in global high end fashion space, collection development, sustainability issues, etc. 

The training sessions will be conducted by renowned fashion designer Anadil Johnson, founder of Chicago based fashion brand Neval. 

Neela Hosna Ara, director, BGMEA, and Mohammad IleasMia, deputy secretary, and Project Director, Export Diversification and Diversification Project (Tier- 2), WTO wing, Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh signed the MoU on behalf of the respective sides. 

David Austin, regional portfolio manager, United Nations Office for Project Services, and Raphaelle Nicole Danielle Quintard, Portfolio Management Officer, EIF Executive Secretariat WTO, were also present at MoU signing ceremony held at BGMEA Complex in Uttara, Dhaka on May 16.

The WTO Cell of the Commerce Ministry has been implementing the project with a view to transforming Bangladeshi heritage into high-end fashion products and create a market for them internationally.

The project also aims to explore the opportunity of exporting garments linking the rich culture and heritage of Bangladesh with fashion. 

It will also create an opportunity to present Bangladesh’s own culture and textile heritage internationally through fashionable garments made from traditional textiles and fabrics like Jamdani, Khadi, Silk and Monipuri. 

The project will help to build the capacity of the local weavers to enable them to use their craftsmanship to design high-value apparels maintaining international quality. Thus it will open doors to create employment opportunities for Bangladeshi weavers, while saving the indigenous industry.  

Besides, it will significantly help to diversify products within RMG, add higher values and pursue our vision to reach 100 billion dollars export by 2030.

Tougher value addition rules for an RMG segment mulled

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RMG Bangladesh
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Bangladesh became home to the highest number of green garment factories in the world with 183 USGBC LEED-certified factories. Photo: Mumit M

  • FY22 RMG exports were $42.6B; CMT’s share ranges from 15% to 20%
  • Minimum 20% value addition required for incentives
  • Exporters argue present value addition calculation is transparent and simple
  • Proposed import duty on materials for star and luxury hotels to increase to 110% after decade-long 10% benefit
  • Duty benefits granted on 40 materials

Highlights: 

The government has planned to implement stricter regulations regarding the eligibility criteria for cash incentives provided to garment exporters who rely on materials supplied by their buyers, according to officials of the Bangladesh Bank.

In another move, the duty concession on the import of materials for luxury hotels is likely to be withdrawn in the coming budget, said finance ministry officials.

Apparel manufacturers who receive fabrics and other materials from buyers and export finished products after cutting, making, and trimming (CMT), will now be subject to a revised calculation of their value addition. To qualify for cash incentives, the value addition must amount to at least 20%.

Currently, exporters in this sector determine the value addition by subtracting the cost of production, including purchases from local markets and profit margins, from the export proceeds except for freight costs. 

But under the proposed new rules, the value addition rate will be calculated on the basis of the price of goods purchased from the local market and CMT materials’ value.

Bangladeshi exporters buy various items such as cartons, poly, printing and labels from local markets. Exporters get incentives only when they add at least 20% value including labour wages and profits.

According to exporters, 15-20% of the total exports of the readymade garment sector are on CMT basis. In the fiscal 2021-22, readymade garments exports were worth $42.6 billion. In the first 10 months of the current financial year, Bangladesh exported garments worth $38.5 billion.

Syed Nazrul Islam, first vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told The Business Standard that it is always clear how much value is being added to the products exported on CMT basis. Because foreign buyers provide free materials including clothes. 

“Any calculation should be simple so that exporters can easily present their financial details to the authorities concerned for incentives. Any procedure which complicates the proceedings is not desirable,” he added.

Mohammad Hatem, executive president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said, “If the accounting method is modern, advanced and simple, it will definitely be good for businesses. But it is not right to go for any method, which creates complications.”

Withdrawing duty concession for luxury hotels 

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has given major duty concessions on the import of essential materials used in the construction of hotels to develop the country’s tourism industry. That will end as the tax regime is withdrawing this benefit in the upcoming budget.

According to sources in the finance ministry, on the suggestions from the International Monetary Fund, the government is going to withdraw subsidies and concessional benefits of various sectors. This time, the opportunity to import capital machinery at concessional facilities for the construction of posh hotels is being withdrawn.

The sector insiders believe the move will create a fresh challenge for the tourism and hospitality sectors. 

According to sources in the finance ministry, the import duty was fixed at 10% for the construction of luxury hotels through statutory regulatory orders (SROs) issued by the National Board of Revenue (NBR). The business enjoyed this benefit for about ten years. At present, import duty of up to 110% is going to be levied on various goods under various HS codes as before.

At least 40 materials were provided with concessional duty benefits, starting from decoration or interior decoration of hotels, cooking, fire extinguishing equipment, furniture, lighting and electronics.

According to sources in the finance ministry, for the purpose of developing the tourism sector, there was a duty concession on the import of materials used in hotel construction for a long time. But at present the government feels that the sector is sufficiently developed and is set to move forward without government policy support. 

Continuation of concessions in a sector in the long run makes them dependent rather than self-reliant. Then they constantly want to get more benefits. On the other hand, the government is deprived of revenue, they said, adding that it will not have any effect here.

Md Sameer Sattar, president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) said the government is set on revenue collection which may affect the consumer of the industry.

Ahsan H Mansur, executive director at Policy Research Institute, said the hotel sector is already overbuilt in Bangladesh like Thailand thanks to such a policy.

“The sector entrepreneurs are also doing well. Now is the time to take a break. If needed, the government may consider in future,” he added.

The eminent economist also advises that the government may offer reduced duty on import of various foods, which will help to attract visitors home and abroad to Bangladesh.

A senior official of the Bangladesh Tourism Board, who did not want to be named, said considering rising prices of construction materials owing to the global economic volatility and the strong dollar, if such a decision is implemented, the progress of this sector will be hampered.

According to the tourism board, more than five lakh foreigners visited the country in 2017. The arrivals of foreign nationals were over 5.52 lakh in 2018. 

BGMEA president emphasises promoting Bangladesh through high-value Muslin products

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RMG Bangladesh
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BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said developing high-value garments using homegrown fabrics like Muslin will not only help Bangladesh to promote its cultural heritage on the global stage but also would create opportunities for the country’s apparel export sector. 

He stressed on the need for concerted efforts of relevant stakeholders including scientists, academics, textile engineers, artisans, fashion designers, entrepreneurs to revive the tradition of muslin fabrics and weaving techniques and commercialize the muslin production. 

He made the remarks while addressing a seminar on ‘Reviving traditional Bangladeshi muslin and weaving techniques and prospects of investment in the sector’ organised by Bangladesh Handloom Board, the Ministry of Textiles and Jute in Dhaka on 16 May. 

Honorable Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi (Birpatik) attended the seminar as chief guest while Dr Shamsul Alam, state minister, Ministry of Planning, Masud Bin Momen, foreign secretary of Bangladesh, Lokman Hossain Miah, executive chairman of Bangladesh Investment Department Authority (BIDA), and Md Abdur Rauf, secretary, Ministry of Textiles and Jute were also present. 

In his address, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said Bangladesh had potential to develop high-value fashionable garments using locally produced fabrics like Muslin, a fabric that illustrates the rich heritage and culture of Bangladesh.. 

With the support of the government, BGMEA is already working to explore possibilities of presenting Bangladeshi culture and fashion internationally and exporting them to the global market, he said. 

The association would promote Muslin products worldwide by presenting them to international buyers through exhibitions and cultural events, he added.

Apparel exports may bounce back by December

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RMG Bangladesh
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RMG buyers, technology suppliers as well as fabrics and garments manufacturers are hoping Bangladesh’s apparel exports will make a return to positive trends in the next six months.

Global demand is expected to be higher than in the previous year as most brands and retailers will have their stocks cleared by that time frame, apparel stakeholders told The Business Standard during the Bangladesh Denim Expo on Tuesday.

Shafiur Rahman Safiq, regional operations manager of G-Star Raw, said people are touring everywhere in Europe, which he termed a a positive sign.

“Apparel sales go up when people are on tour,” he said, sharing his recent Amsterdam visit experience.

“Besides, stores are clearing their inventories and it will create more demand,” he said, adding that they are hoping business to grow further by December as indications of the business cycle starting to bounce back are apparent.

Pioneer Denim Deputy General Manager Md Hasibul Huda echoed the same, saying, “Demands will increase in all markets by September and October ahead of Christmas Day.”

He said that they are optimistic about doing better in the North American markets, where business in recent times has dropped to half.

“Monthly exports to the US mark came down from $2.5 million to $1 million,” he said, adding that exports to the EU market have already started to take off thanks to some orders shifting from Pakistan and Turkey.

Brant Tong, sales manager of XDD Textile from Vietnam, said business is slow now because of inflation.

He also hoped business would turn around after six months with the global crisis easing by then in the major export destinations in the western world.

“Bangladesh is a big market for us,” he said, adding that they have been doing business in Bangladesh for 15 years with an annual growth of 30-40%.

Alice Tonello, research and development and marketing director at Tonello, an Italian technology company, said the garment business is down in Europe now because of high inflation resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Tonello pointed out that consumers’ buying preferences have changed a lot after the pandemic. People are now more inclined to spend on tourism and other experiences rather than on spending money for garment items.

Syed Mohammed Tahmir, director of Pacific Jeans Group, agreed. He added that the war too has impacted people’s buying patterns.

John, representative of the Chinese textile manufacturer Zhejiang Xinlan Textile Co. Ltd, said all businesses are passing through tough times in the aftermath of the Ukraine-Russia war.  

Tanvir Hossain Dipu, project manager at Jenologia, a Spanish technology company for denim washing and processing, said that their business is going slow as most of their customers are producing less than their capacity as inflation bites into global demands.

Bangladesh’s overall exports plunged for two months in a row in April with the RMG sector, the country’s export might, also witnessing negative growth.

In April, exports for the RMG sector stood at $3.32 billion, which is a significant decline of 15.48% compared to April of 2022.

Export sectors earned $3.95 billion in April, while it was $4.73 billion in the same month in the last fiscal year, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

The two-day long Bangladesh Denim Expo will wrap up today at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital.

Over 90 local and international exhibitors are attending the event to display fabrics, garments, threads, machinery, finishing equipment and accessories.

The expo has brought together major denim stakeholders from across the world under one roof, according to Mostafiz Uddin, founder of Bangladesh Denim Expo. 

Huge opportunities to expand Aussie trade: BGMEA

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Bangladesh and Australia have immense potential to enhance bilateral trade by further deepening collaboration and cooperation, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan told a high-profile Australian government delegation on Monday. 

Trade between the two countries have grown considerably over the past years and more opportunities still lie ahead that could benefit both sides if reaped together, he commented. 

He came up with the observations during a meeting with Hon Tim Watts, assistant minister for foreign affairs in the Australian government, in Dhaka.  

Brendan Hodgson, director, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives Section at Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Megan Jones, assistant secretary, Indian Ocean and South Asia Regional branch of Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Louisa Bochner, adviser to the assistant minister for foreign affairs and Jeremy Bruer, Australian high commissioner to Bangladesh were also present at the meeting. 

The meeting was also attended by Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for the ICT Division; Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, deputy minister for education; and Russell T Ahmed, president of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services. 

They discussed various issues including potential areas of expanding trade and investment ties between Australia and Bangladesh.

Issues relevant to Bangladesh’s garments industry including its prospects and preparedness to continue the growth momentum were also discussed during the meeting. 

BGMEA chief Faruque Hassan briefed the Australian assistant minister for foreign affairs on the huge progress made by the Bangladeshi readymade garments industry in terms of workplace safety, environmental sustainability, and workers’ rights and welfare. 

He said Bangladesh was interested in importing more cotton and wool from Australia to meet the growing demand for the country’s readymade garments and textile products.

The BGMEA chief further informed the Australian assistant minister about the organisation’s initiative to arrange the Bangladesh Apparel Summit in Australia on 18 July and called on him to support the event.

He also sought cooperation from Australia in developing knowledge and skills of the students of BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology in textile, apparel, fashion, design and business management through collaboration with leading Australian universities and fashion institutes.

He thanked the Australian government for its decision to continue duty-free market access for Bangladesh. 

“The duty-free access would support Bangladesh in maintaining its economic growth momentum after it graduates from the least developed country category,” Faruque Hassan added.

RMG exports reach $38.57 billion with 9.09% YoY growth during July-April

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Bangladesh’s apparel industry has recorded a strong year-over-year (Y0Y) growth of 9.09% for the period of July-April in FY2022-23, according to the data released by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). 

The country’s total RMG export during this period reached $38.57 billion, out of which the EU market accounted for $19.20 billion, accounting for 49.78% of total exports.

The EPB data revealed that the country’s export to EU countries grew by 8.58% compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. 

However, exports to Germany, Bulgaria, and Poland have declined. In contrast, Bangladesh’s RMG export to France and Spain showed positive growth of 22.21% and 16.69% year-over-year, respectively. 

Italy also displayed a positive trend, recording a growth of 42.40% and reaching $1.85 billion.

On the other hand, Bangladesh’s export to the USA market faced a negative growth of 7.13% for the same period and reached $6.94 billion. 

The country’s apparel export to Canada and the UK markets, however, experienced positive growth rates of 16.09% and 10.88%, respectively.

Exports to non-traditional markets have also shown a positive trend with a growth rate of 30.80%, reaching $7 billion for the same period. 

Among the non-traditional markets, Japan, Australia, India, and South Korea were the major markets with $1.32 billion, $961.30 million, $889.06 million, and $477.81 million worth of RMG exports, respectively.

Industry experts have suggested that Bangladesh needs to diversify its export markets to reduce its dependency on a few specific markets. 

The government and private sector stakeholders need to work together to explore new markets and increase the country’s export volume. 

Despite the challenges, Bangladesh’s RMG sector has shown resilience in the face of the pandemic and is expected to continue its growth trajectory, they added.

World Bank: Bangladesh has to start green transition to remain competitive

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The RMG sector of the country doesn’t conduct green trade directly. But their indirect green trade is much more impactful for the country, society and the environment

Bangladesh has no time to waste to start its green transition in order to remain competitive in the global market, said the World Bank.

Nora Dihel, senior economist, macroeconomics and fiscal management of the World Bank said it while presenting the keynote at the event titled “World Bank Roundtables on Green Trade in Bangladesh” in the capital on Monday.

She also said that access to environmental goods and services through imports will play a crucial role. 

Moreover, the elimination of tariff peaks and non-tariff barriers can help improve access to imported environmental goods and services will be essential.

“This is particularly important as Bangladesh is about to graduate from LDC status and several other countries in the region have made significant progress in deepening their trade relations by signing new trade agreements, such as the EU with Vietnam,” she added.

Promoting and facilitating access to environmental goods and services will play a key role in the adaptation efforts to reduce the harmful effects of production on the environment and reduce the content of CO2 emissions.

Capitalizing on the potential to integrate regional and global value chains in the production of environmental goods and the provision of services is needed, she said.

However, it can prevent India and Bangladesh from benefiting from greener trade and access to environmental technologies.

The keynote also said that Bangladesh has good availability overall, with one notable exception, solid waste management, where significant improvements are needed.

As a panelist, Fazlul Haque, former president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and managing director of Plummy Fashion said that the Bangladesh Bank helped Plummy a lot to become the first green factory of the country.

“Bangladesh Bank should support entrepreneurs in both infrastructure building and machinery importing,” he added.

The RMG sector of the country doesn’t conduct green trade directly. But their indirect green trade is much more impactful for the country, society and the environment.

“Bangladesh currently has 195 LEED-certified green factories. Nowadays, a new investor can’t think of building a factory without going green,” he added.

“We have taken these initiatives to attain a good reputation. We use water more carefully than any other industry. We strictly maintain to use 1.5-litre water per minute at the green factories,” he added.

The green factories also treat wastewater to a drinkable level. They are using 40% less energy, 42% less water and emitting 35% less CO2.

“Establishing green factories is not a charity, we need more policy and financial support from the government,” he added.

Buyers use the green tag to get high prices. But they don’t share it with the manufacturers. So, they have to give fair and ethical prices, he added.

Ahmed Zubaer Mahbub, joint director of the sustainable finance department of the Bangladesh Bank said that they are working to accelerate green trading all over the country.

“In 2014, we advised to disburse 5% of the total loan as green financing and 20% as sustainable loan. In 2015, we suggested utilizing at least 20% of the banks’ CSR for environmental work,” he added.

The central bank initiated a sustainable finance policy in 2020 and green bond in 2022, he added.

Zaidi Sattar, chairman of the PRI, moderated the roundtable session.

The keynote said that by focusing on aspects, Bangladesh can continue to enhance its environmental product offerings and position itself as a leader in sustainable development.

Dr Farhina Ahmed, secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change was present as chief guest.

Mashiur Rahman, executive director of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) and speakers from the private sector, banks and research institutes also spoke at the roundtable. 

Reaping the full benefit of our remittance

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RMG Bangladesh
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We expect the authorities concerned to continue to be proactive and devise the appropriate policies and incentives

The importance of remittances for our economy can never be stated enough; each and every year, in addition to our RMG industry, our expat workers prove themselves to be one of the foundations of our economy, with the remittance they send being one of our key earners of foreign currency.

And on that note, the fact that sending remittance through mobile financial services (MFS) such as bkash has increased by 70% year on year is certainly good news. WIth our aim of slowly but surely becoming a cashless society as we march towards a smart, prosperous, and developed Bangladesh, a shift to legal and recognized means of sending remittances is no doubt a step in the right direction.

However, while there is progress, and credit must be given to the authorities concerned for implementing incentives to encourage this progress, what is also concerning is the reduction in remittances over the past month — an almost 20% drop — compared to the previous month. While the nature of remittance is hardly linear, nevertheless, any serious dips must always be evaluated by the relevant authorities and stakeholders.

Moreover, what remains most disheartening is that nearly half of all remittance in the nation is through illegal channels, robbing our economy of tax revenue- an area where we have historically struggled. We also fail to comprehend the full picture of our remittance with these illegal channels generating no data with which we can make policy changes.

It would not be incorrect to say that our expat workers are yet to be incentivized to send their money through legal channels back to the country. Moving forward, we expect the authorities concerned to continue to be proactive and devise the appropriate policies and incentives so that Bangladesh can fully reap the benefits of our expat workers abroad.

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Ready Made Garments sector is the key source of foreign currency and GDP for Bangladesh. Approximately 4.2 million people are dependent on the RMG sector for their bread and butter.
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