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RMG exports to pick up as orders pour in

Garment makers link growth to China shift, US economy

Refayet Ullah Mirdha
Major garment makers expect a boost in exports as the US economy is rebounding and orders are shifting from China to Bangladesh.
International brands are placing more orders with their Bangladeshi partners as China, the largest apparel exporting country, has become expensive for them, exporters said.
Knitwear exports rose 8.73 percent to $6.30 billion and woven garment exports 22.2 percent to $6.27 billion in July-February, from the same period a year ago, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau.
“The trend in garment exports is good,” said David Hasanat, chairman and managing director of Viyella t ex Group, a leading apparel maker.
Apparel exports picked up in March as the shipment of clothes for the autumn-winter season in the western world has started, he said.
A shift in orders from China to Bangladesh, for cost competitiveness, is a major reason behind the rise in exports, he said. “A rebound in the US economy from the financial meltdown helps boost the export of garment items,” Hasanat said.
The US is the single largest export destination for Bangladeshi garment items. The EU debt crisis might not affect garment exports, he said.
But unhealthy price competition in the domestic market, a poor law and order situation, an inadequate supply of gas and power and weak infrastructure are still major causes of concern for the growth of RMG, he added. Abdullah Al-Mahmud Mahin, managing director of Mahin Group, said, “I hope garment exports to the US will be even better in the near future as the country's economy is in recovery.”
Some major US buyers are coming with large orders to Bangladesh, Mahin said. "Those brands were previously operating in China, but they are now shifting to Bangladesh.”
He said the export trend is also improving for a stable cotton and yarn market.
However, Faruque Hassan, managing director of Giant Group, is a
bit sceptic about higher growth in future because of the EU debt crisis.
He said at the end of the year, the country will maintain good export growth for the export of apparel to new destinations like Japan, India, Turkey, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, China and Korea.
“The inflow of orders from EU is still slow, although orders from the US are increasing fast,” he said. Hassan predicts that garment exports will not increase from next month, but it will start increasing from August as the trend in orders shows this.
But the problems with weak
infrastructure and poor port management should be improved to bag more orders, he said.
Mohammad Abdullah, managing director of Nassa Group, said orders from the US brands have increased in his factory.
He said he has a target to export $300 million in 2012, while he exported garments worth $215 million from his 34 units last year, he said.
“The buyers are placing more orders with the economy becoming stronger and as previous inventories have finished,” he said.
reefat@thedailystar.net