Topic > Industrialization of Ready-Made Garments in Bangladesh

Background: The ready-made garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh has grown steadily since the 1990s. The country is prominent in the export of high-quality, low-cost clothing. As a result, foreign exchange earnings, industrialization and GDP have improved in a short span of time. RMG's contribution to GDP is almost 15%. In 2012-2013, nearly 80% of the total exports that year came from apparel exports worth around $21,515.73 billion. Despite the postponement of the MultiFibre Agreement (MFA) quota system in the United States since 2004, Bangladesh's RMG exports have seen a sharp increase since then. Both small and large companies are expanding their export network and improving production capabilities and exporting apparel to famous international brands such as H&M, Li & Fung, Tom Tailor, Levis, Gap, Texco, OBS, Pierre Cardin, Neck & Neck etc. However, there are fears that the garment industry may weaken due to the recent unfortunate events such as the collapse of the "Rana Plaza" factory on April 24, 2013 and the fire in the "Tajrin garments" factory in late 2012 which has killed nearly 1300 workers in total. These incidents have pushed foreign importers and investors to reconsider the future of their businesses and at the same time raised the issue of workplace safety and proper remuneration of garment workers. Operating model of RMG industry: United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Turkey, Japan, Australia etc. Importers Ready-made garments, mainly of two types: knitwear products (sweaters, socks, stockings, undergarments, etc.) and fabric products (shirts, T-shirts, trousers) Products Competitive prices Prices Cheaper human capital, cheaper cost of energy consumed in Export Processing Zone (EPZ), government tax and lending incentives. Competitive advantage... middle of the paper... clothes can replace garments even though their demand is very low compared to others. So, overall, Bangladesh's ready-made garment industry has great growth opportunities due to its favorable governance and labor supply, while it has been under enormous pressure from the international scene regarding workplace safety and the reduction of workers' wages. So the country should emphasize domestic production of raw materials so that domestic wage increases and spending on workplace safety do not harm the competitive advantage of exporting high-quality, low-cost garments. Furthermore, the sector needs a transformation to improve its productivity and to safeguard the rights and benefits of employers. The government needs to develop infrastructure such as electricity, gas and road connectivity in order to boost the country's largest foreign exchange earning sector.