BGMEA, BKMEA, BTMA sound alarm over spinning mill crisis
Business Desk :
Three of Bangladesh’s top export-oriented organisations have raised serious concerns over the deteriorating state of the country’s spinning mills, warning that the entire textile and garment value chain could face an unprecedented shutdown without immediate government intervention.
At an emergency meeting in Dhaka on Tuesday, leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) jointly assessed the growing challenges threatening the sector. BTMA later issued a press release detailing the discussions.
According to the statement, leaders fear that if the situation continues unchecked, the country’s key textile, spinning and garment industries could halt operations “at any time,” putting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers at risk.
A sector-wide collapse, they warned, would also exert heavy pressure on banks and financial institutions already exposed to the industry, and push Bangladesh toward heavy dependence on imported yarn and fabrics – a scenario they described as “alarming” for a sector that relies on local backward linkage to remain competitive globally.
The organisations also expressed strong dissatisfaction over the recently issued Labour (Amendment) Ordinance 2025. They said several new provisions in the ordinance were not part of the decisions adopted at the tripartite consultative committee (TCC) meeting involving the government, employers and labour leaders.
Leaders of BGMEA, BKMEA and BTMA – including BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan, BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem and BTMA President Shawkat Aziz Russell – unanimously demanded that the government withdraw the amended ordinance, saying the new provisions could severely harm the industry at a time when manufacturers are already struggling with production disruptions, reduced orders, and rising operational costs.
The sector leaders called for urgent dialogue with the relevant ministries, emphasising that only immediate policy support and corrective measures can prevent the current crisis from escalating into a nationwide industrial emergency.