WB support sought for RMG sector dev: BGMEA

Staff Reporter :
The apex body of the apparel sector has requested the international brands, retailers and buyer’s representatives to encourage their nominated suppliers to invest more in producing specialised items in Bangladesh to reduce cost and lead time.
Faruque Hassan, President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) in a letter issued on January 19, said, “The apparel industry has started its journey with only a few items. But today we cater almost all the items to the global market.”
“With the growth of the readymade garment industry, the backward linkage industry including textiles and accessories has also grown significantly in recent decades,” the letter said.
The BGMEA president said, “Now we are almost self-sufficient in knit fabric, though supply of woven fabric from local mills still remains inadequate. On the other hand, our local accessories industry has the capacity to meet almost 100 per cent demand.” “But still, there are a number of special accessories items we are not much competitive, and for some specialised knit fabrics particularly MMF, polyester, synthetics we don’t have enough capacity at this moment.