BGMEA ambition belies realities
Thursday, 4 November 2010
M A Sattar
A recent press report quoted a Vice-Chairman of BGMEA as saying that Bangladesh has bright prospects of exporting some $500 million pieces of garment products in some South American countries annually. According to him, this is a modest projection and could rise higher once the trade with that continent gets fully under way. It is relevant to mention here that similar rosy views about exporting our garment products to Japan, Russia and some other destinations have been made from time to time.
But given the present conditions that exist in the realm of our garment industries, the projections would appear like fantasies to hard-boiled observers. The way the entire garment sector has been gripped by labour unrest, violent activities thereof and other factors which are undermining its competitiveness, if the same keep on going the garment sector of this country would soon lose large share of its even traditional or long established markets. In that context, its hopes of making inroads into new markets would be as unrealistic as pipe dreams.
What the garment sector here needs above everything else is peaceful working atmosphere. To that end, all stakeholders have a role to play. But the government has the biggest such role. Hundreds of garments industries have been damaged or vandalised in different forms during the last couple of months in the Dhaka region. They suffered large production and other forms of losses as a result.
This sort of violence has not occurred for the first time but happened intermittently in recent years causing huge losses for the garment sector. Clusters of garment industries in other regions also continue to be affected in this manner. The owners of garment industries have been crying for government protection to them but in vain. The garment industries were also largely bypassed as government extended cash assistance and other supports to some other economic sectors to ward off the effects of the worldwide economic crisis.
Thus, day-dreaming with the garment industries is a very impractical way of thinking about harnessing their potentials. The first task in order seems to be the awakening of the government to the needs of the garment industries and helping them to be 'fitter' to win and maintain new markets abroad.
A recent press report quoted a Vice-Chairman of BGMEA as saying that Bangladesh has bright prospects of exporting some $500 million pieces of garment products in some South American countries annually. According to him, this is a modest projection and could rise higher once the trade with that continent gets fully under way. It is relevant to mention here that similar rosy views about exporting our garment products to Japan, Russia and some other destinations have been made from time to time.
But given the present conditions that exist in the realm of our garment industries, the projections would appear like fantasies to hard-boiled observers. The way the entire garment sector has been gripped by labour unrest, violent activities thereof and other factors which are undermining its competitiveness, if the same keep on going the garment sector of this country would soon lose large share of its even traditional or long established markets. In that context, its hopes of making inroads into new markets would be as unrealistic as pipe dreams.
What the garment sector here needs above everything else is peaceful working atmosphere. To that end, all stakeholders have a role to play. But the government has the biggest such role. Hundreds of garments industries have been damaged or vandalised in different forms during the last couple of months in the Dhaka region. They suffered large production and other forms of losses as a result.
This sort of violence has not occurred for the first time but happened intermittently in recent years causing huge losses for the garment sector. Clusters of garment industries in other regions also continue to be affected in this manner. The owners of garment industries have been crying for government protection to them but in vain. The garment industries were also largely bypassed as government extended cash assistance and other supports to some other economic sectors to ward off the effects of the worldwide economic crisis.
Thus, day-dreaming with the garment industries is a very impractical way of thinking about harnessing their potentials. The first task in order seems to be the awakening of the government to the needs of the garment industries and helping them to be 'fitter' to win and maintain new markets abroad.