'Knitwear factories must improve compliance to beat China, Turkey'
Sunday, 2 August 2009
FE Report
Bangladeshi knitwear manufacturers must improve labour conditions and ensure safety in factories if they are to beat China and Turkey to emerge as the top apparel exporters in the world, a business leader said Saturday.
Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) President Fazlul Hoque told the owners that improving compliance issues at the factories would determine the long-term future of the country's apparel industry.
"Our target is to triumph over China and Turkey and become number one in knitwear export. But there is no alternative to making the factories labour and safety compliant to achieve that target," Hoque said.
"Wage hike of workers alone will not improve compliance situation in the country," he said adding, "There are other areas which need to be addressed."
"Mutual trust between the workers and the owners has to be strengthened to maintain congenial working environment in the factories, which in turn will boost growth."
Hoque made the comments while chairing a view-exchange meeting with the knitwear factory owners from the country's four knitwear manufacturing hubs-Dhaka, Gazipur, Fatullah and Savar.
The meeting styled 'compliant knitwear sector: present situation, challenges and development strategies' under the German Technical support was organised to discuss problems faced by knitwear factories.
The knitwear sector is the country's single largest export earner, with shipments of over US$ 6.00 billion in the fiscal year 2008-09.
The BKMEA president said Bangladesh would be able to surpass Turkey, the second largest knitwear exporter after China, within the next one year. "But it will take time to outdo China," he said.
Bangladesh's knitwear export is growing by more than 18 per cent annually. The growth would have been higher if the sector wasn't adversely affected by the economic meltdown, he said.
Mr. Hoque said western consumers were buying comparatively low-cost products in the wake of the global economic slowdown and Bangladesh could cash in on the trend.
"But the western retailers want to know about the compliance situation - such as the state of labour, payments and working conditions --- in the factories before placing any order," he said.
"So we have no other alternative but to improve compliance requirements."
The meeting also discussed the recent unrest in the garment sector and how the factory owners should respond in this crisis.
BKMEA vice presidents Abdur Rashed, MA Baset, Zahidul Haque Bhuiyan and directors Fazle Shamim Ehsan and Sheikh Monwar Hossain were present in the meeting.
Bangladeshi knitwear manufacturers must improve labour conditions and ensure safety in factories if they are to beat China and Turkey to emerge as the top apparel exporters in the world, a business leader said Saturday.
Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) President Fazlul Hoque told the owners that improving compliance issues at the factories would determine the long-term future of the country's apparel industry.
"Our target is to triumph over China and Turkey and become number one in knitwear export. But there is no alternative to making the factories labour and safety compliant to achieve that target," Hoque said.
"Wage hike of workers alone will not improve compliance situation in the country," he said adding, "There are other areas which need to be addressed."
"Mutual trust between the workers and the owners has to be strengthened to maintain congenial working environment in the factories, which in turn will boost growth."
Hoque made the comments while chairing a view-exchange meeting with the knitwear factory owners from the country's four knitwear manufacturing hubs-Dhaka, Gazipur, Fatullah and Savar.
The meeting styled 'compliant knitwear sector: present situation, challenges and development strategies' under the German Technical support was organised to discuss problems faced by knitwear factories.
The knitwear sector is the country's single largest export earner, with shipments of over US$ 6.00 billion in the fiscal year 2008-09.
The BKMEA president said Bangladesh would be able to surpass Turkey, the second largest knitwear exporter after China, within the next one year. "But it will take time to outdo China," he said.
Bangladesh's knitwear export is growing by more than 18 per cent annually. The growth would have been higher if the sector wasn't adversely affected by the economic meltdown, he said.
Mr. Hoque said western consumers were buying comparatively low-cost products in the wake of the global economic slowdown and Bangladesh could cash in on the trend.
"But the western retailers want to know about the compliance situation - such as the state of labour, payments and working conditions --- in the factories before placing any order," he said.
"So we have no other alternative but to improve compliance requirements."
The meeting also discussed the recent unrest in the garment sector and how the factory owners should respond in this crisis.
BKMEA vice presidents Abdur Rashed, MA Baset, Zahidul Haque Bhuiyan and directors Fazle Shamim Ehsan and Sheikh Monwar Hossain were present in the meeting.