Refayet Ullah Mirdha

Nine small and medium-sized garment factories are in big trouble as a German retailer is not paying them on the pretext of being hit by the coronavirus pandemic although the buyer received the goods before the crisis began.

The local dyeing industry has begun recovering slowly from losses as garment work orders started to pick up thanks to the reopening of retail stores in the West.

The government has decided to import one lakh tonnes of onion as soon as possible to rein in skyrocketing prices in the local markets, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi told The Daily Star yesterday.

Bangladesh’s exports to Bhutan would get a huge boost once the two sides sign the proposed preferential trade agreement, said exporters and experts yesterday.

The government has finalised a draft of a preferential trade agreement (PTA) to be signed between Bangladesh and Bhutan within the next month.

Small garment factories in Bangladesh are finding it tough resuming operations following the prolonged Covid-19-induced layoff even though work orders from international buyers are slowly making a comeback, according to industry insiders.

A ray of hope has emerged for the laid-off, disabled and insolvent workers of export-oriented garment, leather and footwear manufacturing factories as the government has initiated a scheme to extend financial support to them.

The commerce ministry has once again decided to go for open market sales (OMS) of onion in Dhaka to tame the kitchen staple’s spiralling prices.

Bangladesh had witnessed a steep fall in exports in April this year as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on both the local and global economy.

Bangladesh’s merchandise export earnings increased by 4.32 per cent year-on-year to $2.96 billion in August following a rise in demand due to the reopening of retail stores in the EU and US markets.

Merchandise export earnings in August rose 4.32 percent year on year to $2.96 billion, driven by apparel shipments, according to data from Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

The recently terminated employees of Debenhams’ Bangladesh office yesterday demanded full payment of the wages and other monetary benefits owed to them by the London-based multinational retailer as per Bangladesh’s labour laws.

Bangladesh has joined hands with peer least-developed countries (LDCs) to appeal to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for the continuation of trade benefits they currently enjoy following status graduation to developing nations considering the pandemic’s ill-effect on economies.

Bangladesh remains one of the top sourcing destinations after China for international clothing retailers and brands even during the coronavirus pandemic because of its competitive prices, according to a new report by leading supply chain compliance solutions provider QIMA.

The findings of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) on job losses and shuttering of garment factories for the coronavirus pandemic have been trashed by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE).

The Bangladesh Bank has relaxed rules on securing funds from pre-shipment credit schemes and the Export Development Fund so that exporters can avail soft loans to expedite shipments and make their international business more competitive.

The government may consider another stimulus package for garment exporters such that they can pay workers’ wages of August, said Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday.

The US Trade Representative (USTR), the chief trade negotiator for the Trump administration, has sought a list of retailers that cancelled work orders with Bangladeshi firms due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Bangladesh has urged US investors to set up Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing plants in Bangladesh to ensure its availability at lower cost for people of the country.

The government has extended policy support to garment exporting factories falling under the small and medium enterprise (SME) category to improve their competitiveness during this time of the coronavirus pandemic.