Bangladesh has come a long way in terms of its exports. With an export of only $0.36 billion in fiscal 1973, the country has managed to increase it to $30.2 billion by the end of fiscal 2014. Comprising a share of 20 percent in the GDP, the importance of exports remains critical to the overall economic growth of the country.Firstly, let us take a quick look at some of the facts regarding exports of Bangladesh. The exports are largely dominated by readymade garments, whose share was 81.2 percent in FY2014. Around 96 percent of all exported goods are manufactured commodities. If we look at the table of top five manufactured goods, what we can perceive is that Bangladesh’s export basket is heavily concentrated on one product that is the readymade garments.With about four million workers and 81.2 percent of total export earnings, a lot of the country’s fate depends on a single sector. High export concentration on the garment sector can make the economy vulnerable to shocks.Shocks stemming from international financial crises, however, are likely to have minimal effects on Bangladeshi exports. This is because the share of Bangladeshi exports in world trade is extremely small. To put this in perspective, let us take a look at our largest export partner — the USA. Total import of goods and services into the USA was $2,766 billion in 2013 and the share of Bangladesh is only a meager 0.2 percent of total US imports. This depicts that Bangladesh has a vast world market for selling its products.However, possible threats that Bangladesh’s garment exports may face mostly stem from domestic inadequacies and rival countries.Currently, our garment industry has a comparative advantage in two areas namely high capacity and low wages. With 5,600 factories, Bangladesh’s apparel industry is ahead of countries like Indonesia (2,450 factories), Vietnam (2,000 factories) and Cambodia (260 factories) in terms of capacity.However, the other prime factor, low wage, may not be a sustainable comparative advantage for Bangladesh. The minimum wage in the industry has already increased by 77 percent to $66.25 since December 2013. Though it is lower than in countries like India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Vietnam, an increase in Bangladeshi wages will lead to a change in its comparative advantage. Not only can a wage hike in the domestic industry create a problem but countries emerging with lower wages may pose threats to our industry as well. For instance in the case of African nations such as Ethiopia, minimum wages can be as low as $23 a month. In addition, African countries receive a zero duty benefit for their exports to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, whereas Bangladesh has to pay duty of 15.6 percent. African garment exports to the US were $0.9 billion in contrast to Bangladesh’s $5 billion in 2013. It should not come as a big surprise if African garment exports to the US gallop in the next few years.Nevertheless, the effects of rising wages can be negated with the help of higher productivity. But in terms of Standard Allowed Minutes (SAM), Bangladesh has a productivity score of 40 percent in contrast to its competitors Vietnam, India and Pakistan with a score of 80 percent in garment production.The question remains as to what can be done to increase Bangladesh’s exports, especially since a vast world market lingers out there.One way to do this is by diversification of products. Along with introducing new products to the export basket, the country can also focus on increasing exports from the existing industries that can prove to be lucrative.For instance, if we look at the exports of leather and footwear industry, we will see that they have been growing at an average annual rate of 31 percent and 25 percent respectively during the last five years. Scope exists for these industries to increase their exports further with the help of correct policies.One thing to realise is that the protection system that currently prevails in Bangladesh favours production for the domestic market rather than exporting. This creates an anti-export bias which makes domestically produced import competing goods more profitable to sell in the country rather than exporting. Garments on the other hand have been able to overcome this bias with the help of several measures such as back-to-back LC for import finance and bonded warehouse system for duty-free imported inputs.Another way to increase exports is through diversification of markets. In fiscal 2009, 93 percent of Bangladeshi garment exports went to the traditional markets, namely the USA, the EU and Canada. This has declined to 85 percent in fiscal 2014. The government gave cash incentives to the garment industry (5 percent, 4 percent and 2 percent for 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12, respectively) for exporting to new destinations. This has increased exports and helped trigger the process of market diversification.We have seen that Bangladesh has a vast market for its exports and fluctuations in world demand due to international financial crises are likely to have minimal effect. However, such crises may affect export earnings in the short run. This is because Bangladesh is considered to be a price-taker in the international market and a fall in output price may result in some decline in export earnings, despite total quantity of garment exports being unaffected. Geographical diversification of exports can also help in this regard.

Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) authorities alleged that some local influential people had grabbed 11 acres of its land, hindering foreign investment and employment generation in the zone. Police and district administrations were not doing enough to recapture the lands from the grabbers, officials told a press conference yesterday.  “The land-grabbers are eating into our lands, which prevents development works and foreign investment in the KEPZ. But we are getting no sufficient help from police and district administrations,” KEPZ managing director Brigadier General (Retd) Hasan Nasir said. He said the local land-grabbers had grabbed 11 acres of land in the name of graveyard. MD said the district administration, however, retrieved four acres which were yet to be demarcated. “We sent 13 letters since 1999. But no response yet and the land-grabbers have been using the chance (of not demarcation).” The district administration was yet to give them the Deed of Transfer and Mutation of Land, Nasir Hasan said, adding that they were unable to accommodate foreign investors at the zone for this reason. “We cannot lease out industrial plots to foreign investors as the Deed of Transfer and Mutation of Land have not been provided,” he said. Youngone have just set up four industrial units at the zone, where 10,000 people have been employed, he added. MD also said if they got the Deed of Transfer and Mutation of Land, they would be able to increase employment to 50,000 at the KEPZ in two years. He alleged some local workers drew salaries from KEPZ without doing any work. When the salaries were stopped, they started waging movement against the decision, Nasir said. Mohammed Saiful Islam, another official, said then Prime Minister approved a proposal of KEPZ on August 3 in 1995. He said they had applied for land on December 13 in 1996 and received land on August 3 in 1999. The KEPZ sources said they had built 22 factory buildings, 24 kilometres of roads, a female dormitory for 5,400 workers and a golf course and planted 1.7m trees. Various other development works are also underway on about 2,500 acres of land in the zone. A high official of the KEPZ said they were just provided with the licence. He said they could provide jobs to at least 100,000 people of Bangladesh if everything remained in their favour.

Authority of Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) – the first private EPZ in the country, demands immediate demarcation of land preserved as graveyards outside its acquired land. The authority made the demand at a press conference on Sunday as vested quarters erected pillars and barbed wire fencing around seven acres of KEPZ acquired land at four spots since the 21st February in a bid to grab those claiming to be falling inside graveyards and madrasa land. Through instigating locals the vested quarters also kept the Gate No 2 besieged barring movement of staffs and officials and hindering operation of factories inside KEPZ since February 28, alleged the KEPZ officials at the press conference held at KEPZ dormitory and office block. With the help of a few former KEPZ staffs, who were sacked on disciplinary ground, and miscreants from outside, they are staging showdown even inside KEPZ hampering development of industrial plots and other activities seriously for the last few days, they alleged. The KEPZ officials blamed neighbouring Boirag Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Nawab Ali and Baro Uthan UP Chairman Didarul Alam for leading the evil move, which is feared to discourage potential foreign investment in the country’s first private EPZ as well. The vested quarters filed a case claiming 6.67 acres of land with Patiya Joint-District Judge Court. As the case was dismissed by the court in March 2010, they made a writ petition to the High Court. Having the petition rejected by the High Court on January 18 this year, the land grabbers encircled 5.95 acres of land at Guapanchak and at South Block of KEPZ in the early hours of 21st February. They also raised pillars and barbed wire fencing around more than one acres of land at two more spots on March 5 night, said KEPZ officials. Concerned Karnaphuli police station recorded the complaint of KEPZ neither as general diary nor FIR, they alleged. KEPZ authority filed a case with a metropolitan magistrate on March 4 when the court proceedings started amid hartal and lodged another case with ADM court in this regard, they added. We have informed both police and district administration of the matter and have been waiting for decision and affective steps by them,” said KEPZ Managing Director Mohammad Hasan Nasir at the press conference. We want directions from the authority concerned and demand immediate demarcation of the land preserved as graveyards or religious establishments outside KEPZ acquired land,” he said. Claiming that KEPZ authority had sent 13 letters and memos over the last two years in this matter, the KEPZ MD said, We want cooperation from all concerned for the sake of industrial development and for not discouraging foreign investment.” KEPZ would be able to create employment of some 50,000 people in the next two years if everything goes well, they claimed.

A tense situation has gripped Korean EPZ in Anwara of the district as outsiders, assisted by a group of sacked workers of the Karnaphuli Shoe Industry (KSI), illegally grabbed its land in the name of a Madrasa and graveyard (Kabarsthan). They also threatened its managing director and other senior officials of dire consequences, sources said. The local administration, some local businessmen and public representatives have apparently launched a campaign against the Korean EPZ to create grounds for taking its land. They allege that the KEPZ officials did not allow the villagers to bury the dead people in the graveyard inside the area, use its walkways and the authority has failed to develop the land as expected. Sources said some identified miscreants have attempted to grab 11 acres of Korean EPZ’s acquired land at five spots by breaking open the gate number 2 of the KSI, a land earmarked for KEPZ IT Park, in the south block under Anwara Boirag mouza on February 28. The local villagers at Anwara and West Patiya and the security personnel of the KEPZ are engaged in repeated chase and counter-chase over the land boundary of the EPZ while development work has faced obstruction due to different bureaucratic tangles. “The miscreants have been attempting to grab the KEPZ lands since February 21, the government holiday on account of International Mother Language Day, and keep on obstructing normal activities in the country’s largest export processing zone until today (Sunday),” said managing director of the Korean EPZ Mohammad Hasan Nasir. He said that a small group of local people under the leadership of Boirag Union Parishad chairman Nawab Ali and Baro Uthan Union Parishad chairman Didarul Alam had forcefully constructed a brick wall on 1.5 acres of the KEPZ’s acquired land in the Guapanchak mouza and illegally grabbed the land on last Friday. The local influential people supported by sand smugglers have felled down many trees on the KEPZ land and raised barbed wire fence around the area, KEPZ authority said. “We had as many as 13 meetings with deputy commissioner of Chittagong and requested him to demarcate the land for graveyard to avoid such conflicts with the locals but officials in the local administration are yet to do so although the demarcation of the graveyard was supposed to be done within a month of registration of land,” he said. Hasan Nasir was briefing reporters on the latest situation of the KEPZ at its conference room on Sunday. DGM (admin and HR) Major (retired) Sadin Tayyeb, presented details of physical condition of the land after illegal occupation at South Block of the KEPZ. Legal advisor Advocate ATM Aftab Uddin was also present. Some 50 people were seen demonstrating outside main entrance of the KEPZ during presence of reporters inside the area and were chanting slogans against MD of the company. “The problem is not that serious. We want cooperation of all concerned including the local people and want that our investment is not discouraged. They must allow us to do everything needed to build an industrial zone in the KEPZ following all the administrative rules permissible under industrial policy 2010,” he said. He said officials of the global leading electronic company Samsung visited the KEPZ site and wanted to make a huge investment in this export processing zone in 2013 but they did not proceed further as the Deed of Transfer of the KEPZ land has not yet been made. “Foreign investors will first see in what state the land is. They will come only when they see there are no legal complexity about the land,” he said.

The European retailers will place orders for longer period in higher volume and increase price per unit of products to help their supplier factories in Bangladesh where remediation works are needed to maintain workplace safety, said their platform, The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. The Accord in a monthly update report on Friday said it had developed a Financing Remediation Guidance for brands (retailers) and factories outlining suggested steps for both parties to ensure remediation that is financially feasible. The guidance said the brands and retailers would ensure finance to the supplier companies and factories for remediation through improving cash inflow, increasing revenue and injecting capital. The brands and retailers will improve cash inflow through reducing payment terms and prepaying orders, ensure increased revenue through guarantee orders for longer period in higher volume and will inject capital through joint investment, providing loan and paying for renovations directly, it said. The platform said, ‘Accord holds Corrective Action Plan finalisation and remediation meetings with factories and signatory companies to ensure both parties understand the remediation requirements, including the requirement to confirm that a remediation finance plan is agreed’. According to the guidance, the supplier factories will estimate costs of corrective action plan through identifying materials for all CAP items and obtaining quotations from service providers. The factory owners will also have to assess revenue projections and profitability of their companies and to asses financing options including own capital investments, loans, and change commercial terms, the Accord said. Following estimating by the factory, the cost estimate, factory’s financial capacity and finance option will be reviewed jointly by the brands and factories. Both the sourcing and factory managers will evaluate finance options including commercial terms and to confirm to the Accord which type of finance plan will be agreed and then the CAP will be approved by the retailers’ platform. During the remediation period, the factories will have to give progress updates to the lead brand and the Accord and all signatory companies to review CAP progress on factory visits, the guidance said. Accord will facilitate discussions on financing plan between signatories and factories if expressly asked by the signatories or factories. Accord engineers will conduct follow-up inspections and verify remediation. If they found inadequate remediation progress, the Accord will issue non-compliance letter to the factories and companies. The Accord in its monthly update said that it had received 900 CAPs developed by the factories with support from the signatory companies. These CAPs will later be updated to indicate that the financial plan for remediation is in place when the Accord receives this confirmation from the lead brands and factories, it said. The update said the Accord was conducting initial inspections at newly-listed factories and had completed more than 250 inspections for fire, electrical and structural safety and more than 1,250 factories had so far been inspected by the initiative. Furthermore, the Accord is liaising with the North American Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety to avoid duplication of inspections to common factories and will soon begin discussions with factories and companies to finalise Corrective Action Plans and begin follow up inspections. The Accord is continuing follow up factory visits to monitor and verify corrective actions and a total of 227 factories have had fire, electrical and structural follow up inspections. Another 263 structural inspections have been conducted in factories with major structural concerns, the update report said. After the Rana Plaza building collapse on April 24, 2013 that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, Western retailers and apparel brands, reacting to public outrage, began a major push to improve safety in the Bangladeshi factories they do business with. The EU brands and retailers including H&M, Carrefour and Mango formed Accord and announced inspection programme in the garment factories.

When she told her family that she would lead the effort to revive their family’s moribund garment business six years ago, they immediately opposed as Vidiya Amrit Khan was just 28.But after a lot of hard work Vidiya, now 34, has not only turned Desh Garments around but also emerged as an experienced business person.Established in December 1977 at Kalurghat in Chittagong, Desh was the first export-oriented readymade garment factory in Bangladesh. It was also the single largest and most modern garment-manufacturing unit in the sub-continent.Bangladesh’s first batch of exports was produced at Desh factory set up by the industry’s pioneer Noorul Quader, father of Vidiya.In 1991, a cyclone hit the factory and disrupted its production. It also received a serious blow when Quader died in 1998.”Our garment business got stagnant and was very inefficient in the absence of my father,” said Vidiya.When her father died, 18-year-old Vidiya was studying A-levels in London.She attended Green Herald School in Dhaka and Roedean School in Brighton, England; studied LLB at Kings College of London and attended Bar-at-Law at the Inns of Court School of Law in London.Known as the father of Bangladesh’s garment industry, Noorul Quader, left, is seen supervising work at Desh Garments in Chittagong in 1979. Noorul passed away in 1998 and his daughter took the helm of the first export-oriented garment factory of Bangladesh in 2008. File PhotoKnown as the father of Bangladesh’s garment industry, Noorul Quader, left, is seen supervising work at Desh Garments in Chittagong in 1979. Noorul passed away in 1998 and his daughter took the helm of the first export-oriented garment factory of Bangladesh in 2008. File PhotoShe returned to Bangladesh in 2005 and joined Barrister Rafique-ul-Huq’s law firm in Dhaka, and worked for about six months.”I gave up practising law as I wanted to do something on my own,” she said.She started with a trading firm of her family which has been working as an agent for Swiss company Buhler to market machinery for food milling sector. She also got involved in her family’s another business of locomotive supplies to Bangladesh Railway.In 2008, the family sat together and decided to run Desh Garments properly. Her mother and brother were reluctant to let Vidiya take such a responsibility at such an age. She had to convince them.Vidiya appointed a German consultant and moved to Chittagong.”Initially, nobody took me seriously. It was not very easy for me as I have had a very comfortable life.”She stationed herself at the factory in the port city for the next four years. She dedicated herself to the business. “I personally learnt almost everything by staying at the factory.”She successfully turned the factory into an efficient and a compliant one in four years. “Workers are more disciplined today.”She moved to Dhaka one and a half years ago. Now she visits the factory at least once a week.Vidiya is now the group director of Desh Group, which has interests in packaging, distribution, IT and real estate. Although her mother is the chairman of the group and her elder brother is the managing director, she is the decision-maker in the company.”I have been able to turn it around a bit. Not all families can sustain its business,” she said. She gave credit to her father for her success.”Abba [father] taught me everything. He groomed me up. I even learnt cooking from him. Living with my father was like being in another school.”The single-storey factory located on over 80,000sqft of land has 976 workers. “These workers are very nice.”Vidiya now plans to expand the production capacity of her factory, which could happen within this year. And the company will cash in on its expertise in shirt-making.Now the factory produces 2 lakh shirts a month. Vidiya said she plans to double the capacity in two to three years adding another factory floor on top.She said the group’s packaging factory will also see expansion in the coming months.The public limited company now exports its products to the US and the European Union. Desh Garments’ buyers include Kohl’s, Aldi and Li & Fung.Vidiya said any woman who is planning to establish herself as an entrepreneur must prepare for the obstacles they would encounter. “It is not an easy world. You will have to be ready for the fight.”“We have not diversified production yet. We still make shirts only and will continue to export this particular item.” Also a director of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Vidiya is very hopeful about the sector’s potential in the world market, as the industry is very competitive and has a huge workforce. “Our future is very, very bright. I also think that the $50-billion export target by 2021 is within our ability. The government will have to create the right infrastructure. We will also have to educate the workforce as well as factory managers.”

The US will assist Bangladesh in achieving its $50 billion apparel export target by the end of 2021, US Ambassador in Bangladesh Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat said yesterday.With higher prospects, the Bangladesh government and garment exporters set a target to export apparel items worth $50 billion in the next seven years, at the first Dhaka Apparel Summit held in December last year.Bangladesh that accounts for 5 percent of the $450 billion global garment trade will need at least 15 percent year-on-year growth in exports to reach the target.“We will continue to work with BGMEA to help achieve the target,” Bernicat said at a press meet at the office of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), after a meeting with the association leaders.“Good things have already taken place in Bangladesh after the Rana Plaza building collapse. More than 200 trade unions have been allowed in the factories, dangerous factories have been closed, new inspectors have been hired, remediation of the factories is underway and transparency has been established in the business,” Bernicat said.“The most important thing I learnt about RMG is that Bangladesh is unparalleled anywhere in the world,” she said. Bangladesh has taken a serious challenge over tragic events and is showing the world how a proper response can be mobilised, she added.The garment sector clearly drives social change in Bangladesh. My government will help Bangladesh achieve the $50 billion export target, so that you can become the number one exporter in the world.” Bernicat, a newly appointed US diplomat, suggested further compliance in the sector to make the business sustainable.Of course, more needs to be done. The finalisation of rules of the amended labour law is important for the implementation of the law in the factories,” she said.The government did not finalise the rules yet, although the labour law was amended in parliament in July 2013, allowing full freedom of association in the factories.Highlighting the challenges the sector faces, Atiqul Islam, president of BGMEA, said, “We need a stable political environment to reach the export target.”“The garment industry is the lifeline of the economy. The sector empowered women and Bangladesh is moving ahead.”The number of factories housed in shared buildings has also been declining; 60 percent of garment factories are now housed in purpose-made buildings, he said.“We are also relocating factories from Dhaka to other places, to increase workplace safety after the Rana Plaza building collapse.”Islam said an appreciation of the local currency against the euro and greenback has posed a major challenge for Bangladesh, as exporters are losing money in the exchange process.Another challenge is the rise in apparel exports from Pakistan to markets in the EU since January 2014, as the EU granted Pakistan the “GSP plus” status for 75 items, of which, 55 are garment items and similar to Bangladeshi products destined for the same markets, he said.Higher bank interest rates and higher workers’ salaries are also some challenges for the sector, he added.Bangladesh has to pay higher duty for exporting garments to the US market, Islam said.Currently, the US is the single largest export destination for Bangladesh.Bangladeshi exporters now pay 15.61 percent in duty to the US for the export of garments that account for 95 percent of total exports to the US.In fiscal 2013-14, Bangladesh exported goods worth $5.59 billion to the US and imported products worth $801.10 million, up from $5.41 billion and $537.80 million respectively in the year before that, according to commerce ministry data.Bangladeshi garment exporters paid $828 million as duty to US customs last year and $3.41 billion in the last five years, according to the commerce ministry.

Apparel export earnings showed 2.56% growth in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, EPB provisional data shows, despite supply chain disruptions in last two months in the wake of the countrywide political violence.  Police escort has helped the RMG exporters to a large extent to ship their products on time.   Although the RMG manufacturers claimed that they had to face setback in sending products to Chittagong for shipment due to security problem. The figures, however, showed the positive growth in export earnings.  Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) sources said Bangladesh earned about US$16.55bn through exporting readymade garments in July-February of FY2014-15. This figure is 2.56% higher than $16.14bn of the same period in the last fiscal.  The knitwear exports during the period stood at US$8.13bn, while woven products earned $8.41bn growing at 1.22% as the previous year’s figure was $17.17bn, shows EPB data. “Though the export earnings showed about 2.56% growth, it was expected to reach 7%, and if the supply chain was not disrupted, the export growth could be even more,” BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim told the Dhaka Tribune. Commenting on the negative impact on the ongoing political unrest Azim said: “The impact of the political turmoil will be reflected in May-June period as we’ve failed to grab the work orders as per our expectation.” “As we remained cautious about the possible negative impact due to the supply chain disruption, the RMG sector witnessed less impact than last year, thanks to the police escort for carrying our products safely to the port city for shipment,” he added.  Bangladesh has witnessed continues countrywide blockade and hartals since January 6, which was sponsored by BNP-led 20 party alliance. BNP and its allies called the blockade and hartals to mount pressure on government to hold a fresh election. Meanwhile, the business community, especially the export-oriented sector, demanded incentives and policy support from the government to recover losses incurred due to the political disturbance. The $24.5bn RMG industry alone employed over 40 lakh workers, of which 80% are women mostly from the rural area.

Many apparel makers are now resorting to cost-cutting measures to compensate for the losses that have been thrust upon them by the ongoing prolonged and disruptive political programmes, industry insiders said. One of the handy measures they have, allegedly, chosen is the downsizing their workforce. Some of the owners have also decided to cut a few other expenditures including one on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Owners of a number of apparel units have expressed their fear that they may not be in a position to pay the wages to their workers if the current political troubles persist further. They have claimed that the buy orders have declined even up to 50 per cent, in some cases, while the sector has already suffered a 25-30 per cent production loss over the last 45 days. Some factories located in Malibagh, Khilgaon, Mirpur, Savar, Ashulia and Narayanganj terminated a good number of workers during the last two months, alleged labour leaders. Sirajul Islam Rony, president of Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League alleged that each day there were two to five incidents of worker termination, especially in the capital city.  “While work order has been declining on the one hand, our cost of doing business has gone up on the other. And the situation has forced the manufacturers to compensate for their loss in various forms,” Md   Hatem, former vice president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) told the FE. He dismissed the allegation of workers’ termination but said instead of two helpers one operate now handles a single stitching machine. There are a good number of large units that offer many benefits which are not mandatory by law, Md Shahidullah Azim, vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said.  Some of them have suspended such programmes as part of their cost cutting measures, he said adding “We are now worried over payment of workers’ wages, future inflow of orders and image of the country.” If there is scarcity of orders, how the manufacturers pay their workers, Mr Azim said adding if such political turmoil does not end immediately, it would take a heavy toll on the sector. “Global apparel buyers and retailers are worried over sourcing garment products from us. They have a fear whether we will be able to make timely shipment as the ongoing situation has already affected the whole supply chain,” BGMEA president Md Atiqul Islam said. Some of them had postponed their scheduled visit to Dhaka while many others are choosing an alternative place outside the country like Bangkok, Hong Kong and New Delhi to negotiate their orders out of security concern, he added. Though the manufacturers are going abroad for negotiating orders, some of the buyers are cutting volume of orders and thinking of shifting the orders to other countries, garment makers said.  Mr Hatem said the prevailing situation forced him to accept a buy order from a European retailer at a discount rate of ten cents. “Last year I produced women’s items for the buyer at a rate of $1.80 per piece. This time I have accepted the rate at $1.70,” he mentioned.    On the other hand, the apparel exporters are not getting the required number of trucks or covered vans as the latter are not willing to go out in such an unstable situation, Rafez Alam Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Garment Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA) said. Moreover, the carrying cost has also significantly gone up, he said adding that sometimes it is difficult to manage a transport offering high fare as the owner of the trucks or covered vans do not want to take risk following previous and recent arson attacks and vandalism. Meanwhile, 35 garment factories have suffered an estimated loss worth $23.23 million on account of order cancellation, discount, air shipment charges, delayed shipment etc., between January 14 and February 19, according to the BGMEA. BGMEA has drafted a list of demands including extension of instalment payment by two to three years for term/project loan and forced loan, 3 per cent cash incentive for export to EU market and fixing of lorry risk insurance rate at 0.02 per cent to remain competitive. The list would be sent to the government this week.

Most Japanese firms operating in China choose Bangladesh as the second best investment destination after India due to lower production costs here, according to a survey by Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro).Due to sluggish operations and struggle for expansion of business in China, firms are expanding their operations mainly in Bangladesh, India, Vietnam and Thailand.Some 71.7 percent Japanese-affiliated firms in China want to expand their operations in Bangladesh, with 78.2 percent favouring India, 66 percent Vietnam and 60.9 percent Thailand, according to the official trade and investment promotion agency of Japan. Jetro that has been conducting such surveys since 1987 took opinions of 10,078 firms from 20 countries. It also directly interviewed the chief executives of the firms between October and November last year to conduct the survey — A survey of Japanese Affiliated Firms in Asia and Oceania for the Year 2014. Bangladesh is offering the lowest worker wage levels among its competing countries. Workers’ wages in the manufacturing sector in Bangladesh is $100 a month, while Cambodia has the second lowest wages at $113, according to the survey.Japanese investors also think that Bangladesh has the widest room for cost cutting, according to some 84 percent of the CEOs in the survey.In comparison to Japan, the cost of production in Bangladesh is less than half (48.7 percent), while it is 77 percent in China and 71 percent in Vietnam.Japanese corporate heads feel that there are better trade opportunities in Bangladesh in 2015, as some 71 percent of the CEOs surveyed are expecting profits to rise in the country.Jetro’s Dhaka office published the highlights of the survey on Sunday.The survey, however, stressed improving worker efficiency in the country by providing basic education and vocational training.Among the countries surveyed, Bangladesh ranked the lowest in quality of employees. The average rate of workers’ productivity in Bangladesh is 31.6 percent, while it is 77.8 percent in Sri Lanka, 68.4 percent in Pakistan, 44.4 percent in China and 42.1 percent in India, the study shows.The study suggested the Bangladesh government focus more on signing free trade agreements (FTA) with countries under the Asia and Oceania region, to boost regional trade.The survey portrayed that the highest utilisation of FTA is made by firms engaged in the textiles trade.“FTA is the means to trade facilitation among the countries under the Asia and Oceania region, not only a generalised system of preference. In this context, it is high time that Bangladesh considers FTAs seriously,” it said.            Japanese entrepreneurs have been shifting their investments to other countries since its government announced the ‘China plus one’ policy in 2008 to reduce over-dependence on China.Investment from Japan rose three times to $94.37 million in 2013, compared to the previous year, according to Bangladesh Bank.The bilateral trade balance between the two countries is heavily tilted towards Japan, as Bangladesh imports vehicles, electronic goods and spare parts. On the other hand, Bangladesh mainly exports apparel items, leather and leather goods, and footwear to Japan.In fiscal 2012-13, Bangladesh exported goods worth $750.27 million to Japan, against $600.52 million in the previous year, according to data from Export Promotion Bureau.In 2012-13, Bangladesh imported goods worth $1.19 billion from Japan against $1.45 billion in the previous year, according to BB. At present, more than 180 Japanese companies have operations in Bangladesh.