RMG export to third world markets
Photo: STAR
Our RMG (and knitwear) exports are neglecting the four billion customers in third world region. Why not export cheaper clothes to other regions and diversify the market, and earn a couple of billion dollars extra? Why not replicate the footpath stalls seen in Dhaka city in the African, S American and Asian cities? Bangladesh (and Japan) concentrates on the rich, western, developed and industrialised countries. Japan and Taiwan learnt the lessons of putting all the eggs into one basket. The working conditions are improving in our RMG sector, but new markets should be tapped, and not concentrate on the rich customers only. The potentialities in the developing countries of exporting the right type of products should be researched. We are weak in the R&D culture, as there are no official incentives and infrastructures. The young educated generations coming out of the private universities should be employed in brain-storming projects to develop Bangladesh. Quick profits should not be the primary aim in long-term development projects. Here the right political culture and approach should be cultivated, and the initiative must come from the top leadership. But the goal these days is to crave for position and power, with public interest relegated lower down the priority list. The RMG is a big and powerful sector, but the political masters have to devote the right attention to its ultimate welfare and healthy environment. Our export policies need more fine-tuning.
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