Meghna Group of Industries will build two economic zones on 325 acres of land at Sonargaon upazila in Narayanganj, the third in the private sector.The construction of the two EZs — Meghna Economic Zone on 245 acres and Meghna Industrial Economic Zone on 80 acres — will be completed within a year. Once all the factories are fully operational, they will create about 30,000 jobs.Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority yesterday handed over pre-qualification licences to the local conglomerate in Dhaka.Meghna Group will lease out plots mainly to foreign investors, said Mostafa Kamal, chairman of the company, adding that the zones will help the country attract foreign investment. “The two EZs have availability of gas, water and its own power plant. So I believe that establishing new industries in the zones is possible without facing any difficulty,” he said. The two zones are situated adjacent to the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. In addition, Meghna Economic Zone is situated on the bank of the river Meghna, he added. Meghna Group opened talks with some foreign investors to make the two EZs a success.“We have already signed MoUs with PM Group in Thailand and Chongqing Minmetal and Machinery Import and Export Company of China,” said Kamal, also managing director of Meghna Group. Besides, Meghna is in talks with Wilmar in Singapore and Suetech Engineering in Thailand to build partnerships.Industries such as pulp and paper, oil refinery, power plants, PVC, beverage, packaging film industry and petrochemicals will get priority in the two zones, he added. “Some 2-3 factories are expected to begin operations in the zones within a year.”The government is now paying special attention to the economic zones as it will help the country grab more foreign direct investment and create new jobs, said Paban Chowdhury, executive chairman of BEZA. “We are getting good responses to establish factories in the EZs from Japan, China and India.” Foreign and local investors have shown interest in the EZs, thanks to low labour costs, a large domestic market and government incentive packages, he added. The government aims to establish 100 economic zones in 15 years. The governing body of BEZA has approved the proposals for 22 economic zones and eight more sites have been primarily selected to set up EZs. The construction of the economic zones at Mongla, Anwara, Mirsorai in Chittagong, Moulvibazar and Cox’s Bazar is ongoing, according to BEZA. Exports will grow by $40 billion a year and one crore jobs will be created if 70,000-75,000 acres of land can be allocated to EZs, said Chowdhury.Earlier, BEZA handed over the first pre-qualification licence to AK Khan Company to build a 200-acre EZ in Narsingdi and a second to Abdul Monem Ltd to develop a 216-acre EZ in Gazaria, Munshiganj.The annual turnover of Meghna Group is about $2 billion. The group has 30 business units located on 350 acres in Sonargaon, according to Kamal.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/business/meghna-group-build-two-economic-zones-81738

Denimco Textile, a Turkish denim maker, will open an office in Dhaka soon to sell the fabric to Bangladeshi exporters directly, as Bangladesh is a major exporter of denim products to Europe and US markets.“Everything is ready and we will open the office within one and a half months,” said Oguz Aksoy, marketing officer of Denimco. “Bangladesh is an important market for us because its economy is growing rapidly,” Aksoy said, sitting at his stall at the two-day Bangladesh Denim Expo that began at Radisson hotel in Dhaka yesterday. Currently, his company produces 3.5 million metres of denim fabrics a month, of which 70 percent are exported and the rest are sold in the Turkish market, he said. Many posh retailers and brands are their customers as they produce a variety of denim fabrics, with their prices ranging from $3 to $350 a yard.Not only Denimco, many internationally renowned denim makers and importers now aim to increase business in Bangladesh, which has become a major supplier of denim products offering lower prices and high quality.“We are shifting to Bangladesh as China, the largest denim supplier worldwide, has become expensive,” said Marco Nava, export manager of Garmon Chemicals and Fashions, a chemical supplier based in Italy.Nava said his company supplies chemicals worth $28 million a year to denim makers worldwide, including $3 million to Bangladeshi businesses. “Bangladesh has a bright future in denim business,” said Nava, who also attended the first version of the show in November last year.The demand for denim garments is on the rise worldwide, said Vichai Phromvanich, managing director of Absolute Denim, a Thai company, which sells denim fabrics to Bangladeshi companies.“Bangladesh has a big opportunity in denim business as the country’s main export markets are Europe and the US,” Phromvanich said.So we think Bangladesh is an important country for us. In future, we may go for partnerships with Bangladeshi firms,” he saidWith the rise in business, local fabrics makers are also going for expansion or setting up new production units. “Production in our new factory will start from July. Initially, we have a target to produce two million yards of denim fabrics a month, but we will increase our capacity to six million yards from next year,” said Muhammad Zakir Hossain, deputy manager of Square Denims Ltd, a new entrant and a unit of Square Group.Hossain said they are in talks with major international brands and retailers to sell their fabrics. “We are also going to open a factory to make denim products,” he said.Bangladesh has 25 denim mills and five more are going into production by the end of this year. Bangladesh produces 20 million yards of denim fabrics a month and can meet 60 percent of the demand, while the rest is met through import.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/business/denim-makers-link-retailers-dhaka-81739

The two newly-elected mayors of Dhaka’s bifurcated city corporation, Annisul Huq of the North, and SayeeKhokon for the South, were both accorded a warm reception on Sunday from arguably the most powerful group of businessmen in the country – the garment factory owners.The reception was jointly organised by Bangladesh Garment Manufactures & Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Bangladesh Textiles Manufacture and Exporters Association (BTMEA) at Raowa Club in city’s Mohakhali.Besides the two mayors, leaders of the three manufacturers-and-exporters organisations, leaders of differentchambers of commerce and newly elected councilors were present at the reception programme.Speaking at the programme, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Annisul Huq said, “The commitments that I have made to change Dhaka city was not mine, the dwellers of Dhaka demanded the commitments from me.”“So, I am grateful to all the people who voted for me, as everyone living in Dhaka is equal to me,” he said.Seeking cooperation from the citizens of all walks of life, he said it is not possible to manage all the work alone; only cooperation from all will enable the mayors and councilors to solve the problems of Dhaka city.“I know what the problems of Dhaka South are as I campaigned throughout its length and breadth of the city during election campaign,” said newly elected mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Sayeed Khokon adding, “I am truly obliged to the people who voted to give me the opportunity to serve as mayor.”Promising to present an inhabitable city, he asked city-dwellers to step forward and present all the problems they face before him. In keeping pace with them, Sayeed Khokon will be able to take appropriate initiatives to solve all the problems.Referring to traffic congestion as one of the top problems in the city, BGMEA president Atiqul Islam said the mayors will have their work cut out to resolving these issues.Terming the new mayors ‘smart’, he said they would transform the city into a ‘smart’ one as well.BKMEA president Shamim Osman; BRMEA president Tapan Chowdhury; BGMEA vice presidents Shahidullah Azim and Reaz-Bin-Mahmood, and its former president Salam Murshedy, among others, were present at the programme.

Source: https://www.observerbd.com/2015/05/10/88097.php

The High Court yesterday summoned three officials of a footwear factory in Gazipur’s Kaliakair in connection with not granting a female worker leave who was in labour. Managing Director of Apex Footwear Factory Syed Nasim Manzur, Product Inspector Azizur Rahman and Supervisor Ratan Mia were summoned a day after the worker, Hamida Akhter, was forced to give birth to her baby in a toilet of the factory. But the newborn was declared dead after it was taken to a local hospital. The three officials were asked to appear in court on May 24 and explain their roles in the incident. The High Court bench of Justice Dr Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman also directed the Kaliakair upazila nirbahi officer to carry out an inquiry into the incident and submit the report on May 24. Deputy Attorney General Tapash Kumar Biswas told reporters that the court summoned the three officials after Hamida’s story was published in a Bangla daily on Sunday. The report said Hamida on Saturday afternoon had urged the supervisor for granting her a maternity leave after she had been feeling unwell but he refused to approve it. Ratan had rather asked Hamida to go back to work, according to the report.

Source: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/may/11/hc-summons-3-factory-officials-over-baby-birth-toilet#sthash.stdzvhx3.dpuf

BGMEA demanded for ensuring delivery of garment raw materials through green channel in one day making coordination between Customs and port activities. BGMEA leaders made the demand at a meeting with newly appointed Chittagong Customs Commissioner Hossain Ahmed at the latter’s office on Sunday. BGMEA First Vice-President Nasiruddin Ahmed Chowdhury in his speech stressed the need for implementing the full-fledge automation system to achieve the export target of $50 billion in 2021. He also suggested for forming a technical committee comprising representative from Customs, BGMEA, Chittagong chamber and C&F agents for easing the activities related to the garment industry. Customs Commissioner Hossain Ahmed lauded the role of readymade garment industry for its contribution to socio-economic development of the country through creating huge employment and earning foreign currency. The commissioner assured of providing speedy facilities of green channel to the firm having no allegation against them. He also assured of forming the proposed committee and asked the customs officials for faster completion of tasks related to the garment industry. BGMEA Director Anjan Shekhar Das, MDM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, former First Vice-Presidents SM Abu Toyub, Moinuddin Ahmed Mintu and Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, Customs Additional Commissioner Azizur Rahman and Joint Commissioner Rezaul Hoque were present during the meeting among others.

Source: https://www.daily-sun.com/print/metropolis/2015/05/11/502564#sthash.BQjhdGhD.dpuf

A two-day ‘Bangladesh Denim Expo’ begins in the capital today (Monday) to showcase the country’s growth potential in the denim industry globally as well as share knowledge with international denim producers and buyers, reports UNB. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed is expected to inaugurate the expo at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel on Monday while State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam will be present at the concluding ceremony of the exposition. Chief Initiator of the expo and managing director of Denim Expert Ltd, Mostafiz Uddin said the show aims not only to promote denim trade in Bangladesh but also to encourage greater business practice to raise the living standard of the people in this country. “Our primary purpose is to create a platform for Denim stakeholders and make Bangladesh as one Stop Sourcing Platform for denim industry, which could bring benefits to the entrepreneurs. Any surplus fund from the expo will be donated to a seed fund for establishing a Denim University in Bangladesh,” he said. Some 25 exclusive denim and jeans related manufacturers and enterprises from the USA, Spain, Japan, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, China, San Marino and host Bangladesh will take part in the exposition. The organisers are expecting good turnout of apparel entrepreneurs, businessmen, fashion professionals and stakeholders of the industry from Europe, the USA and the UK during the expo. Four seminars, including a special one with titled ‘Made in Bangladesh a new Reality-vision 2021’ jointly organised with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) & Bangladesh Denim Expo will be held on the sideline of the exposition. The discussions at the seminar will focus towards devising a strategic action plan to overcome the existing challenges with a vision to increase Bangladesh’s share to US$ 7 billion in the global denim market by 2021. According to the industry insiders, Bangladesh is the second largest denim exporter in European markets while it is holding the third largest position in the USA market. About 400 factories are exporting nearly 180 million pieces of denim jeans to the world. Bangladesh presently has 25 denim producing factories with total investment of over $834 million. After performing the forthcoming May show, Bangladesh Denim Expo will showcase there Next Exhibition on November 11-12 this year.

Source: https://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=2410845&date=2015-05-11

International Labour Organisation (ILO) will not bear the cost of initial assessment of the garment factories in Bangladesh after the expiry of its July 31 revised deadline. However, ILO is now planning to shift the post-inspection responsibility to the government authority concerned. “ILO’s support of the preliminary structural, fire and electrical building and factory safety assessments will end by 31 July 2015 with the emphasis of work shifting to the relevant government authority for follow-up,” ILO Country Director Srinivas Reddy told the FE Sunday. “We would like to complete everything before July 31. If any factory left out, they need to pay for factory inspection,” he said, explaining that they set the deadline for assessment free of charge that has already continued for a long time due to various reasons, including non-cooperation from the factory management. After the expiry of the revised deadline, building and factory owners have to bear the cost of assessment. Earlier, the government-ILO joint initiative under the National Plan of Action set the 30 April 2015 deadline to complete the assessment of garment factories that remain outside the purview of Accord and Alliance. Assessment of garment factories under the joint move started in November 2013. The assessment programme was reportedly delayed due to non-cooperation from the factory management and inconsistencies in information including factory addresses and contact numbers the ILO received from the apparel apex bodies. ILO in a recent meeting with the government also sought cooperation from the BGMEA and BKMEA in this regard. Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments also started verifying information. Up to April 30, structural, fire and electrical inspections have been carried out at some 759 factories under the government-ILO joint programme while 1,068 factories which are on the current list will be inspected, according to ILO. ILO on April 30 sent letter to the BGMEA and BKMEA about its revised deadline, requesting the trade bodies to inform its members to enjoy free of charge assessment before the expiry of the deadline. “Following the ILO’s message, we have already started asking our members to come under the assessment programme,” Md Shahidullah Azim, vice president of BGMEA, said. “No factory can do business if they are not inspected either any of the three initiatives– Accord, Alliance and ILO,” he said, adding that buyers would not place orders if they are not certified and BGMEA can’t help them in this regard.

Source: https://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2015/05/11/92217

The introduction of warehousing facility for cotton trade will immensely benefit the country’s spinners, as it will reduce lead-time and ensure the timely sourcing of the fibre, industry people said.Under the facility, merchants from different countries will store cotton at warehouses at Chittagong port to sell to the local cotton importers and spinners. The merchants can also re-export the cotton from the port to other destinations.

The system is already in use by the Chinese government, which is the largest importer of cotton.Such warehouses would allow spinners to buy cotton at their doorstep and negate the huge risks that come with the long shipment times from origin, said Monowarul Hoque, managing director of Ashik Composite Textile Mills, a cotton importer and spinner.For local spinners, the time lag between an actual purchase and collection varies from two weeks to 12 weeks, excluding the shipment delays.It takes two weeks to get cotton from India and Pakistan and up to 12 weeks from the US, and the West African and Latin American countries, excluding the shipment delays.This lag exposes the spinners to huge market volatility, as cotton prices tend to fluctuate drastically, he said, adding that the local spinners do not have the means to hedge such risks without the access to futures markets.The warehousing facility would protect the spinners in a bearish market, he said, adding that in fiscal 2010-11 the entire industry suffered a huge loss as cotton prices rose and fell drastically.Hoque said, due to long shipment time from origins such as Africa and North America, most local spinners are forced to purchase cotton from India and Pakistan.“However, such cotton lacks quality, contains high moisture and is often contaminated. The cotton shippers in India and Pakistan only export residual substandard cotton as the top crop is always picked and consumed by their respective local spinners,” Hoque said.

He also said the warehouses would allow spinners to ensure quality.“A spinner would be able to draw full sample prior to purchase from the warehouse and that would deter merchants from selling lower quality cotton.”Under the current system, the importers have the leeway to purchase cotton from anywhere in the world and they cannot check the quality and fix the price beforehand.Furthermore, it would lower the financial burden on spinners, who are forced to operate with huge working capital limits, as they must procure cotton well in advance.Hoque said Malaysia and Sri Lanka have already opened warehousing facility for cotton trade at their ports targeting the Asian consumers, especially Bangladesh, the second largest cotton importer after China.On the warehouse facility for cotton trade, Jahangir Alamin, a former president of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), said warehousing is a good option if the system is operated well.“During the tenure of my presidency in the BTMA, the system was considered several times but it never materialised,” Alamin said.

Thanks to higher garment exports, cotton imports registered an 8 percent year-on-year growth to 5.6 million bales [480 pounds make a bale] in fiscal 2013-14.Bangladesh imports cotton worth nearly $3 billion a year from the US, India, African countries and Uzbekistan.In fiscal 2004-05, the country imported three million bales of cotton, but within a span of ten years the country’s consumption doubled, according to BTMA.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/business/spinners-demand-warehouse-facility-cotton-trade-81569

A new door has opened to boost Bangladesh’s RMG export further as some non-traditional markets have relaxed Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) rules and created provisions facilitating duty-free access for Bangladeshi products, industry insiders say. They said Japan has relaxed its GSP rules of origin with effect from April 1 for knitwear products from Bangladesh while Latin American country Chile has also lifted duties for apparel items sourced from Bangladesh. “Now, apparel products from Bangladesh will enjoy zero-tariff facility in the Japanese market. Chile has also started allowing duty-free exports Bangladeshi RMG goods,” said Faruque Hasan, former vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Thursday. He said some 62 Bangladeshi apparel manufacturers will participate in a RMG trade fair scheduled to be held later this month in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Faruque said a study carried out by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) in association with BGMEA has identified Latin America as the most potential export destination for Bangladeshi RMG goods in near future. He said BGMEA sent its first scoping mission to Latin America (Mexico, Brazil and Chile) in 2010 to assess the market and work on initial marketing. The BGMEA also published a market fact book on “Mexico, Brazil & Chile” to be circulating among its members (RMG exporters). The former BGMEA vice president observed that Bangladesh’s apparel products have huge potential in the non-traditional markets (other than the EU, USA and Canada). He said Bangladesh achieved a remarkable growth in RMG export to Latin America in recent years. According to BGMEA data, RMG export to Brazil and Chile was only $39.57 million and $6.41 million respectively in 2008-2009 fiscal, which jumped by 330.22 percent and 414.98 percent respectively to $170.24 million and $33.01 million in 2013-2014 fiscal. Faruque said the government of Chile lowered its duty on Bangladeshi RMG products to 6 percent, responding to a request from a BGMEA delegation during its visit to Santiago last year. “From 1st January 2015, they have made it completely duty-free for any kind of apparel items,” he said. “Moreover, the special cash incentive provided by the Bangladesh government on exports to non-traditional markets helped us significantly to achieve this success,” Faruque added. He said there has neither been any Bangladesh mission in any Latin America nor any Latin Embassy in Bangladesh until 2011. As a result of BGMEA’s relentless endeavours and follow-up visits and meetings with the government, Bangladesh opened embassies in Brazil and Mexico. “Brazil also opened its embassy in Dhaka. So we don’t need to go to New Delhi any more to get Brazilian visa,” the former BGMEA vice president said. He said the variation in the seasonal cycle in Latin America largely due to its location in the Southern Hemisphere created a unique advantage for Bangladesh’s apparel exporters to boost export even during the lean periods. He said they have also made significant headway in their efforts to ensure better access to the Japanese and EU markets in the future. Faruque Hasan said the Bangladeshi RMG exporters already secured duty-free market access to Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Belarus, China and India for most apparel products. “I hope we will be able to keep this growth momentum in the non-traditional markets and maintain the growth sustainability to achieve our vision of $50-billion export by 2021,” he said. Turning on GSP relaxation by Japan, he said Japan earlier had granted a two-stage duty-waiver on apparel items from Bangladesh. “Bangladeshi apparel makers can now make duty-free export of any RMG item (woven and knit) regardless of the fabric (local or imported) to Japan,” he said. He said the privilege in the Japanese market was achieved by bi-lateral visits of the prime ministers of Bangladesh and Japan in recent years.According to BGMEA data, Bangladesh’s RMG export to Japan soared to $572.27 million in 2013-2014 fiscal from just $74.33 million in 2008-2009 FY. “The change in the GSP facility has played a vital role behind this growth in RMG export. We believe that the further relaxation of GSP rules will help our knitwear items grab greater market share in Japan,” Faruque Hasan said.

Source: https://www.daily-sun.com/print/front-page/2015/05/10/502286#sthash.0ZiHQeut.dpuf

The “Bangladesh Denim Expo” starts Monday at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in the capital, aiming to showcase Bangladesh’s growth potential in the denim industry globally, reports UNB. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed will inaugurate the exposition as the chief guest on Monday morning while State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam will be the chief guest at its conclusion on Tuesday evening. The main objective of the expo will be not just to promote denim trade in Bangladesh, but also to encourage better business practices that can help raise the living standards of the people of the country, said Chief Initiator of the expo and Managing Director of Denim Expert Ltd, Mostafiz Uddin. “Our primary purpose is to create a platform for denim stakeholders and to make Bangladesh a one-stop sourcing platform for the denim industry, which would benefit those working in the industry set up,” he said. Surplus funds from the expo will be donated to a seed fund for establishing a Denim University in Bangladesh. Twenty-five exclusive denim and jeans-related manufacturers and enterprises from the USA, Spain, Japan, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, China, San Marino and host Bangladesh will take part in the exposition. Besides, the organizers are expecting good turnout of apparel entrepreneurs, businessmen, fashion professionals and stakeholders of the industry from Europe, USA, and the UK during the expo. A total of four seminars including a special one titled “Made in Bangladesh a new Reality- Vision 2021”, jointly organized with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) & Bangladesh Denim Expo will be held on the sidelines of the exposition. According to the industry insiders, Bangladesh is the second-largest denim exporter to European markets, and third in the US market. Around 400 factories are exporting nearly 180 million pieces of denim jeans to the world. Bangladesh presently has 25 denim-producing factories with total investment of over $834 million. The next expo is scheduled for next Novermber, according to organizers.

Source: https://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=2410730&date=2015-05-10