top of page
Writer's pictureFahad H

Overview of Bangladesh Garment Industry

Agriculture, because the case in India, has been the spine of financial system and chief supply of revenue for the individuals of Bangladesh, the nation made from villages. Government needs to lower poverty by getting highest productiveness from agriculture and obtain self-reliance in meals manufacturing. Apart from agriculture, the nation is way involved in regards to the development of export division. Bangladesh have accelerated and adjusted her exports considerably every now and then. After Bangladesh got here into being, jute and tea have been essentially the most export-oriented industries. But with the continuous perils of flood, failing jute fibre costs and a substantial decline in world demand, the position of the jute sector to the nation’s financial system has deteriorated (Spinanger, 1986). After that, focus has been shifted to the perform of manufacturing sector, particularly in garment business.

The garment business of Bangladesh has been the important thing export division and a important supply of overseas alternate for the final 25 years. At current, the nation generates about $5 billion value of merchandise annually by exporting garment. The business supplies employment to about three million employees of whom 90% are ladies. Two non-market parts have carried out a significant perform in confirming the garment business’s continuous success; these parts are (a) quotas beneath Multi- Fibre Arrangement1 (MFA) within the North American market and (b) particular market entry to European markets. The complete process is strongly associated with the pattern of relocation of manufacturing.

Displacement of Production within the Garment Industry

The world financial system is now managed by the switch of manufacturing the place companies of developed nations swing their consideration to growing nations. The new illustration is centred on a core-periphery system of manufacturing, with a relatively small centre of everlasting workers coping with finance, analysis and improvement, technological establishment and modernisation and a periphery containing dependent parts of manufacturing process. Reducing prices and growing output are the principle causes for this disposition. They have found that the only method to undercharge is to maneuver manufacturing to a rustic the place labour cost and manufacturing prices are decrease. Since growing nations present areas that don’t impose prices like environmental degeneration, this follow protects the developed nations towards the problems of atmosphere and regulation. The switch of manufacturing to Third World has helped the growth of financial system of those nations and in addition velocity up the financial system of the developed nations.

Garment business is managed by the switch of manufacturing. The globalisation of garment manufacturing began earlier and has expanded greater than that of another manufacturing unit. The firms have transferred their blue-collar manufacturing actions from high-wage areas to low-cost manufacturing areas in industrialising nations. The enhancement of communication system and networking has performed a key position on this improvement. Export-oriented manufacturing has introduced some good returns to the industrialising nations of Asia and Latin America because the 1960s. The first relocation of garment manufacturing passed off from North America and Western Europe to Japan within the 1950s and the early 1960s. But throughout 1965 and 1983, Japan modified its consideration to extra profitable merchandise like vehicles, stereos and computer systems and due to this fact, 400,000 employees have been dismissed by Japanese textile and clothes business. In impression, the second inventory switch of garment manufacturing was from Japan to the Asian Tigers – South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore in 1970s. But the tendency of switch of producing didn’t stay there. The rise in labour cost and activeness of commerce unions have been in proportion to the enhancement in economies of the Asian Tigers. The business witnessed a 3rd switch of producing from 1980s to 1990s; from the Asian Tigers to different growing nations – Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and China specifically. The 1990s have been led by the ultimate group of exporters together with Bangladesh, Srilanka, Pakistan and Vietnam. But China was chief within the present of the relocation as in lower than ten years (after 1980s) China emerged from nowhere to turn out to be the world’s main producer and exporter of clothes.

Bangladesh Garment Sector and Global Chain The explanation for this switch could be clarified by the wage construction within the garment business, everywhere in the world. Apparel labour cost per hour (wages and fringe advantages, US$) in USA is 10.12 however it is just 0.30 in Bangladesh. This distinction accelerated the world attire exports from $three billion in 1965, with growing nations making up simply 14 % of the full, to $119 billion in 1991, with growing nations contributing 59 %. In 1991 the variety of employees within the ready-made garment business of Bangladesh was 582,000 and it grew as much as 1,404,000 in 1998. In USA, nevertheless, 1991-figure confirmed 1,106.Zero thousand employees within the attire sector and in 1998 it turned all the way down to 765. eight thousand.

The offered info reveals that the tendency of low labour costs is the important thing purpose for the switch of garment manufacturing in Bangladesh. The follow initiated in late 1970s when the Asian Tiger nations have been in quest of ways to keep away from the export quotas of Western nations. The garment items of Bangladesh are primarily counting on the ‘tiger’ nations for uncooked supplies. Mediators in Asian Tiger nations construct an middleman between the textile items of their residence nations, the place the spinning and weaving go on, and the Bangladeshi items the place the material is reduce, sewn, ironed and packed into cartons for export. The identical representatives of tiger nations uncover the marketplace for Bangladesh in a number of nations of the North. Large retail buying and selling firms positioned within the United States and Western Europe give most orders for Bangladeshi garment merchandise. Companies like Marks and Spencers (UK) and C&A (the Netherlands) management capital funds, in proportion to which the capital of Bangladeshi homeowners is endurance. Shirts manufactured in Bangladesh are bought in developed nations for 5 to 10 occasions their imported value.

Collaboration of a local non-public garment business, Desh Company, with a Korean firm, Daewoo is a vital occasion of worldwide garment chain that works as one of many grounds of the growth of garment business in Bangladesh. Daewoo Corporation of South Korea, as a part of its world insurance policies, took curiosity in Bangladesh when the Chairman, Kim Woo-Choong, provided an aspiring three way partnership to the Government of Bangladesh, which included the expansion and technique of tyre, leather-based items, and cement and garment factories. The Desh-Daewoo alliance was decisive by way of entering into the worldwide attire markets at important juncture, when import reforming was occurring on this market following the signing of MFA in 1974. Daewoo, a South Korean main exporter of clothes, was looking for alternatives in nations, which had hardly used their quotas. Due to the quota restriction for Korea after MFA, the export of Daewoo grew to become restricted. Bangladesh as an LDC obtained the possibility to export with none constraint and for this trigger Daewoo was involved with the usage of Bangladesh for his or her market. The goal behind this want was that Bangladesh would depend on Daewoo for importing uncooked supplies and on the identical time Daewoo would get the market in Bangladesh. When the Chairman of Daewoo displayed curiosity in Bangladesh, the nation’s President put him in contact with chairman of Desh Company, an ex-civil servant who was in search of extra entrepreneurial pursuits.

To fulfil this want, Daewoo signed a collaboration contract with Desh Garment for 5 years. The contract additionally integrated the fields of technical coaching, buy of equipment and material, plant institution and advertising and marketing in return for a particular advertising and marketing fee on all exports by Desh throughout the contract part. Daewoo additionally imparted an exhaustive sensible coaching of Desh workers within the working ambiance of a multinational firm. Daewoo keenly helped Desh in shopping for equipment and materials. Some technicians of Daewoo arrived Bangladesh to determine the plant for Desh. The finish results of the affiliation of Desh-Daewoo was essential. In the primary six years of its enterprise, i.e. 1980/81-86/87, Desh export worth elevated at an annual common fee of 90%, reaching greater than $5 million in 1986/87.

It is claimed that the Desh-Daewoo alliance is a big factor for the expansion and achievement of Bangladesh’s complete garment export business. After getting linked with Daewoo’s model names and advertising and marketing community, abroad consumers went on with shopping for clothes from the company heedless of their origin. Out of the opening trainees most left Desh Company at a number of occasions to erect their very own competing garment firms, labored as a manner of transferring data all by way of the entire garment sector.

It is crucial to establish the outcomes of the method of transferring manufacturing from excessive pay to low pay nations for each growing and developed nations. It is a naked indisputable fact that a lot of the Third World nations at the moment are on the best way to industrialisation. In this process, employees are working beneath unfavourable working atmosphere – minimal wages, unhealthy administrative center, lack of safety, no job assure, compelled labour and so forth.

The route of globalisation is stuffed with ups and downs for the growing nations. Relocations of comparatively cellular, blue-collar manufacturing from industrialized to growing nations, in some circumstances, can have troublesome results on social life if – within the absence of environment friendly planning and talks between worldwide organisations and the federal government and/or organisations of the host nation – the transferred motion encourages urban-bound relocation and its span of keep is brief. Another detrimental result’s that the rise in employment and/or revenue just isn’t anticipated to be satisfactorily giant and intensive to minimize inequality. In reference to the detrimental outcomes of relocation of producing on employment in developed nations, we notice that in comparatively blue-collar industries, the rising imports from growing nations result in unavoidable losses in employment. It is held that improvement of commerce with the South was a big purpose of the disindustrialisation of employment within the North over previous few a long time.

After all workers who’re consistently working beneath unfavourable circumstances must bear the brunt. Work is under-control throughout the Bangladesh garment sector. Appalling working ambiance has been delivered to mild within the Bangladesh garment business.

A analysis reveals that 90 % of the garment workers went by way of sickness or illness throughout the month earlier than the interviews. Headache, anaemia, fever, chest, abdomen, eye and ear ache, cough and chilly, diarrhoea, dysentery, urinary tract an infection and reproductive well being issues have been extra frequent illnesses. The garment factories gave bonus of various illnesses to the workers for working. With a view to discovering out a hyperlink between these illnesses and industrial threats, well being standing of workers has been examined earlier than and after coming within the garment work. At the tip of examination, it was come out that about 75 % of the garment workforce had sound well being earlier than they entered the garment manufacturing unit. The causes of well being declines have been industrial threats, unfavourable working atmosphere, and wish of workers amenities, rigid phrases and circumstances of garment employment, office strain, and low wages. Different work-related threats and their affect on well being compelled workers to go away the job after few months of becoming a member of the manufacturing unit; the typical size of service was solely four years.

The garment sector is disreputable for fires, that are stated to have claimed over 200 lives up to now two years, although precise figures are robust to seek out. A stunning occasion of absence of office security was the hearth in November 2000, wherein nearly 50 employees misplaced their lives in Narsingdi as exist doorways have been closed.

From the above evaluation of working ambiance of garment sector, we will state that the working atmosphere of a lot of the Third World nations, significantly Bangladesh remind us of earlier improvement of garment industries within the First World nations. The state of employment in lots of (not essentially) textiles and clothes items within the growing nations take us again to these arrange within the nineteenth century in Europe and North America. The mistreatment of garment workers within the delivery interval of the event of US garment factories reviewed above is kind of identical because it seen now within the Bangladesh garment business. Can we state that garment workers of the Third World nations dwelling within the 21st century? Is it a return of the Sweatshop?

In a manner, the Western firms are responsible of pitiable working ambiance within the garment sector. The developed nations need to make extra revenue and due to this fact, power the growing nations to chop down the manufacturing value. In order to outlive within the competitors, a lot of the growing nations choose immoral practices. By introducing rigid phrases and circumstances within the enterprise, the worldwide financial system has left few options for the growing nations.

Right Time to Make a Decision There are two options to sort out the problem of the aggressive world initiated by the continual strain of world garment chain. One can live on within the competitors by adopting time-honoured work programs or immoral practices. But it’s unsure how lengthy they will live on. In reference to the garment business of Bangladesh, we will say that that is the appropriate time to observe a aggressive coverage, which improves high quality. If the MFA alternatives are eradicated, will it’s possible to maintain the competitiveness by way of low-wage-female labour or by way of additional drop in feminine wages? Possibly not. Since the labour costs are so minimal that with such wage, a employee just isn’t in a position to preserve even a household of two members. Enhancing the effectivity of feminine employees is the one answer to elevated competitors. Proper training and thorough coaching will help obtain these constructive outcomes. To rule the worldwide market, Bangladesh has to come back out of low wage and low output advanced within the garment business. Bangladesh can improve labour output by way of fixed coaching, use of upgraded know-how and higher working atmosphere. Bangladesh ought to plan a technique supposed for selling talent improvement, dashing up know-how switch and bettering productiveness peak of the employees.

Another methodology is to undertake greatest system or moral course. Those firms, which react to heightened competitors by stressing high quality, speedy reply of the shoppers, truthful practices for labourers ought to have essentially the most progressive practices. We assume that we at the moment are dwelling within the age of competitors in producing improved high quality over cost-reduction coverage. The goal of change efforts on the office has been modified over the time – from making the job humane within the 1960s, to job satisfaction and output in 1970s, to high quality and competitiveness within the 1980s. It is critical for a corporation to pursue a aggressive coverage that improves high quality, flexibility, innovation and buyer care. If they depend on low prices by dropping labourers’ wages and different providers, they are going to be bereaved of labourers’ dedication to work.

Strength

. Considerable Qualified/eager to be taught workforce obtainable at low labour costs. The beneficial minimal common wages (which embrace Travelling Allowance, House Rent, Medical Allowance, Maternity Benefit, Festival Bonus and Overtime Benefit) within the items inside the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones (BEPZ) are given as under; then again, outdoors the BEPZ the wages are about 40% decrease:

. Energy at low value

. Easily accessible infrastructure like sea highway, railroad, river and air communication

. Accessibility of elementary infrastructure, which is about three decade previous, primarily established by the Korean, Taiwanese and Hong Kong Chinese industrialists.

. FDI is legally permitted

. Moderately open Economy, significantly within the Export Promotion Zones

. GSP beneath EBA (Everything But Arms) for Least Developed Country relevant (Duty free to EU)

. Improved GSP benefits beneath Regional Cumulative

. Looking ahead to Duty Free Excess to US, talks are on, and seem like on hopeful observe

. Investment assured beneath Foreign Private Investment (Promotion and Protection) Act, 1980 which secures all overseas investments in Bangladesh

. OPIC’s (Overseas Private Investment Corporation, USA) insurance coverage and finance agendas operable

. Bangladesh is a member of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) beneath which safety and security measures can be found

. Adjudication service of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Dispute (ICSID) provided

. Excellent Tele-communications community of E-mail, Internet, Fax, ISD, NWD & Cellular providers

. Weakness of forex towards greenback and the situation will persist to assist exporters

. Bank curiosity@ 7% for financing exports

. Convenience of responsibility free customized bonded w/home

. Readiness of latest items to reinforce programs and create infrastructure accordant with product development and quick reactions to circumstances

Weakness . Lack of promoting ways

. The nation is poor in creativity

. Absence of simply on-hand center administration

. A small variety of manufacturing strategies

. Low acquiescence: there’s a global strain group to compel the native producers and the federal government to implement social acquiescence. The US GSP could also be cancelled and buying from US & EU might lower considerably

. M/c development is critical. The equipment required to evaluate add on a garment or enhance competence are lacking in most industries.

. Lack of coaching organizations for industrial employees, supervisors and managers.

. Autocratic strategy of practically all of the traders

. Fewer course of items for textiles and clothes

. Sluggish backward or ahead mixing process

. Incompetent ports, entry/exit sophisticated and loading/unloading takes a lot time

. Speed cash tradition

. Time-consuming customized clearance

. Unreliable dependability concerning Delivery/QA/Product data

. Communication hole created by incomplete data of English

. Subject to pure calamities

Opportunity

. EU is keen to determine business in an enormous manner as an choice to china significantly for knits, together with sweaters

. Bangladesh is included within the Least Developed Countries with which US is dedicated to reinforce export commerce

. Sweaters are very economical even with china and is the prospect for Bangladesh

. If expert technicians can be found to instruct, prearranged garment is an possibility as a result of labour and vitality value are cheap.

. Foundation clothes for Ladies for the FDI promise is critical as a result of each, the technicians and extremely developed equipment are important for higher competence and output

. Japan to be noticed, as conventionally they buy handloom textiles, residence furnishings and clothes. This part could be inspired and expanded with continued progress in high quality

Threat

. The exporters have to arrange themselves to reap the benefits provided by the alternatives.

0 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page