Netherlands for fair garment price

Getting a fair price is a challenge facing Bangladesh’s apparel exporters, the visiting Netherlands foreign trade and development minister has acknowledged and promised joint efforts. Lilianne Ploumen says it is the responsibility of the government and industry owners to ensure factory safety and workers’ rights. “But it is also the responsibility of buyers, retailers and consumers to come up with true pricing,” she said at a press briefing, flanked by Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, in Dhaka on Sunday. “We have to address the true pricing jointly,” she said and promised to support efforts to convene a conference on the issue. The press briefing was preceded by a close-door interaction with readymade garment (RMG) stakeholders both within the government, the industry, and the development partners. Ambassadors of the European countries and the US were also present at the event at a city hotel where post-Rana Plaza developments were assessed. The April 2013 disaster has drawn global attention to factory safety and worker rights, stirring development partners to roll out an action plan. Netherlands is one of the largest buyers of Bangladeshi garments where this main export item enjoys duty-free market access. Industry owners have been saying they are not getting a fair price for their products. The Dutch minister said they had discussed, among other things, the issue of “true pricing” in the meeting. The pricing question also figured in a joint statement issued after the talks, according to bdnews24.com.