Covid-19 impacts garment production in Bangladesh

Readymade garments are a mainstay of Bangladesh's economy, contributing almost 16 per cent of national output. In fiscal year ending June 2019, the country exported garments worth about $34 billion.

“There is an impact, as all raw materials come from China. We are now trying to divert the mode of transport and are trying to airlift the goods, as production is already running with a delay of 2-3 weeks. If situation like this continues for a week or more then it will impact the production,” Prithu, supply chain manager at Crystal Martin told Fibre2Fashion.

There are around 4,000 garment factories in Bangladesh, which import over 50 per cent of textile and textile-related goods (raw material) including garment accessories from China. Also, about 40 per cent of capital machinery and spare parts for the textile and garment industry requirements are sourced from China.

“Bangladesh is very concerned about coronavirus situation across the world. Our government and health ministry are taking initiatives in training people, especially in rural areas, on how to cope with in such a situation. Due to coronavirus, the demand has gone down in Bangladesh, some of the shipments were cancelled in last one month, but the situation is not that gloomy in our country right now. We re hopeful that things will get better in coming days,” a Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) spokesperson said.

Bangladesh government is taking all necessary measures to minimise impact on foreign trade, the spokesperson added.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (WE-DD)