Bangladesh global buyers' first choice

 

Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, speaks in a press briefing after the meeting with buyers at the BGMEA office in Dhaka Sunday. Photo: STAR Star Online Report

More than two dozens of renowned global buyers are now in Bangladesh to see whether the country’s garment industry is capable enough to handle more orders after China’s shift from garment to other industries.
“Bangladesh is our first choice…the country has a long history of producing readymade garments,” said Richard Vuylsteke, leader of the visiting buyers’ team, after a meeting with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) at its office on Sunday.
“Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar are the other alternatives,” he said.
Richard, who is also the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said they are in Dhaka to diversify sourcing, particularly after China’s shift to heavy industries from apparel manufacturing.
“But this projected expansion (of Bangladesh’s industries) is going to be a challenge,” he said.
The Hong Kong-based buyers believe though Bangladesh has a huge potential to grow with its garment industries, it has limitations with its infrastructure, management and productivity skill and safety issues of the factories.
BGMEA however said they have the capacity to handle more work orders, but their biggest challenge is energy and infrastructure constraints.
“We don’t know when the expansion work of Dhaka-Chittagong highways will be finished. We’ve to act fast on these issues,” said Shafiul Islam, president of the BGMEA.