Dhaka International Apparel Summit

Bangladesh is one of the world's leading apparel manufacturers and has been doing this business for several decades with pride and dignity. The Dhaka International Apparel Summit -2014 will go down as a milestone in our RMG history. It will be treated as ointment for GSP issues, Rana Plaza collapse, Tazrin Tragedy, etc.   

However, the world market size of RMG products is now about $ 450 billions and it will expand to $650 billions in 2021. According to WTO report, Bangladesh is now in second position in terms of RMG exports and its market share is likely to rise by another 3 per cent in 2021. Bangladesh earned $24.49 billions from RMG exports in the 2013-14 fiscal and other things remaining the same it is likely to rise further. The BGMEA expects to earn $50 billions from exporting RMG products by 2021.

More than 4.0 million people (80 per cent of them are women) are working in this sector. The garments sector accounts for about 80 per cent of our exports.  Improving safety of these workers is one of the urgent issues for the sector

In addition, the government should take more care of this sector in motivating the exporters, ensuring workers' safety, expanding infrastructural facilities and timely payment of wages.

Mohammad Iftekhar Hossain

EMBA Student

Faculty of Business Studies

Jahangirnagar University