BGMEA seeks subsidised goods for garment workers
Garments makers are facing challenges stemming from the Ukraine war but trying to overcome the shocks, Faruque Hassan
Garment manufacturers have called upon the government to sell subsidised goods to garment workers for their relief from the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities.
Meanwhile, Faruque Hassan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said they are facing challenges owing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and hoped that they will be able to recover from the shocks.
He met with the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) chairman and urged him to arrange 40 special truck sales of the subsidised goods in areas where most garment industries are located.
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Hassan also sent a letter to the commerce ministry for selling the goods to their workers at affordable prices, he said at a press conference while he was speaking on different issues of the garment industry.
He, however, did not give all the details about the sales of goods to workers.
The BGMEA president also said they are receiving higher prices from the sales of garment products from international retailers and brands as they are adjusting the prices of raw materials with the per-unit garment items.
But the Russia-Ukraine war has been affecting their exports to the warring countries at the time of business recovery from the severe fallouts of the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.
The BGMEA has been lobbying with influential bodies in Europe and the USA, the two main export destinations of the country, so that the export grows in the near future.
For instance, the BGMEA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Apparel and Footwear Association for expanding the apparel markets in America.
"Russia is our emerging market and we expect to increase our exports to the country to $1 billion. But we will miss it. Now we are trying to recover it from other markets," he said, replying to a question by a journalist.
Germany enforces a new law that will scrutinise human rights in the supply chain from 2023, the BGMEA president said.
"We are also facing pressure about it but we are not worried. We had also faced such a situation in the past. The EU and its stakeholders are our friends. We expect that we will also overcome it," he added.
