Refayet Ullah Mirdha

Vegetable and fruit exporters have demanded the national flag carrier Biman introduce special cargo flights to reduce fares and increase the quantity of goods transported.

Leather goods manufacturers and tanners called for another emergency stimulus package for export-oriented sectors and demanded reduction in source tax to survive the economic fallout of the pandemic.

Apparel exporters and textile millers demanded the government accommodate more measures in the proposed budget to recuperate exports and buck up job creation such that the sector can weather the looming economic storm unleashed by the pandemic.

A higher allocation could have been made for the healthcare sector considering the risks posed and inadequacies in infrastructure which became very much evident during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the FICCI.

The government’s ambitious revenue collection target and the plan to borrow a huge sum from the banking sector to finance the budget deficit may leave the private sector and individual taxpayers in dire straits, business leaders said yesterday.

The stimulus packages and measures announced by the government are inadequate to revive exports from the fallouts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to industry leaders.

Trade body and business chamber leaders said the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is largely dependent on prompt implementation of the stimulus package.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has proposed continuation of 1 percent additional cash incentive for the country’s garment export in 2020-21 fiscal year too, considering the economic fallout from Covid-19 pandemic.

Bangladesh’s exports to Canada grew 14.53 per cent year-on-year to CAN$1.97 billion last year, riding on the trade privilege extended by the North American nation.

The inflow of new work orders to Bangladesh’s garment sector from international retailers and brands for June is 45 per cent lower than that a year ago as demand is yet to pick up in the western markets because of the coronavirus pandemic.

A glimmer of hope just appeared for the bruised and battered economy: exports seem to be looking up.

The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment (DIFE) in a circular has urged garment factory owners not to terminate any worker to avert labour unrest in the country.

Cites factories running at 55pc capacity as reason; BGMEA installs 3 PCR labs for Covid-19 test of workers

Import of cotton from India, once the main sourcing destination for Bangladesh’s textile millers, dipped further last year as locals are increasingly moving to suppliers in North and West African countries to cut reliance on the neighbouring country.

Bangladesh’s garment exports to major destinations suffered a devastating blow in April as factories put up the shutters while demand hit rock bottom because of the coronavirus pandemic worldwide.

A new chapter begins in the country’s apparel factory inspection and workplace safety, as RMG Sustainability Council (RSC), a local entity formed by the sector’s apex trade body with representation from brands and trade unions, finally started its journey yesterday.

The country’s primary textile millers have once again called upon the government to impose anti-dumping duty on cheap Indian yarn to save the $8 billion domestic textile industry.

Following the advent of the coronavirus pandemic in Wuhan, China last December, it was assumed that a number of Japanese companies based in the East Asian nation would shift their factories to less affected countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam.

Primary textile millers in Bangladesh have called upon the government to impose anti-dumping duty on Indian yarn imports to protect the $8 billion domestic textile industry.

Clothing manufacturers in India have asked the government to impose more duty on import of clothing items, especially from Bangladesh, to save their domestic industry.