Refayet Ullah Mirdha

Formal negotiations for signing a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) with India are expected to begin this week during a visit of Tipu Munshi, the commerce minister of Bangladesh, to the neighbouring country. 

Some garment manufacturers are providing basic commodities to their workers at discounts opening shops on factory premises, bringing some relief amidst the skyrocketing of prices in the local markets. 

Bangladesh's export sector showed its prowess in 2022 despite the devastating Russia-Ukraine war, unprecedented freight costs, energy crisis, record inflation and a risk of a recession that loomed throughout the outgoing year.

The recovery of loans from small defaulters is higher than those owing large loans, according to the findings of a probe by a parliamentary standing committee.

Bangladesh and Japan have primarily agreed on signing a free trade agreement (FTA) to increase trade and investment, said Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi yesterday. 

Despite having a strong emerging regulatory framework and a relatively mature market, public-private partnership (PPP) projects in Bangladesh have attracted far lower investments than requirements owing to implementation challenges, lack of long-term financing, and dated laws.

Bangladesh wants greater market access to the US in any format as a measure of preparations to face challenges after its United Nations status graduation from a least developed to a developing country in 2026.

The growth of apparel shipments from Bangladesh to the European Union (EU) not only surpassed that of China, but also all other major suppliers in the world between January and August this year, according to the latest data from Eurostat. 

Bangladesh’s earnings from merchandise shipment crossed the $5-billion mark for the first time in November, a major boost for the country reeling from the foreign exchange crisis, official figures showed yesterday.

While retaining its second position globally, Bangladesh had its share in global apparel trade grow by 2.23 per cent to 6.40 per cent in 2021, according to World Trade Organization (WTO) data published on Wednesday.

The restoration of buoyancy in US markets has led to a strong rebound in work orders from international apparel retailers and brands, providing much-needed relief to garment makers in Bangladesh following a lean season.

International technology and machinery providers are flocking to Bangladesh as local apparel exporters are adopting new technologies to reduce water consumption, advance automation and produce sustainable products to win the hearts of consumers.

Thanks to the increasing use of local raw materials, Bangladesh’s retention value from the shipment of apparel items is rising, highlighting the development of a strong backward linkage industry and less reliance on imported yarn and fabrics. 

Local denim has maintained its top position in the US markets despite the ongoing global crisis as the demand for garments made from the widely used fabric is soaring among American consumers.

Eugene Willemsen, chief executive officer of PepsiCo for Asia, Middle East and South Africa, was in Dhaka last week on an official visit. During his stay, he talked to The Daily Star’s Senior Reporter Refayet Ullah Mirdha.

Consumers suffered a fresh blow yesterday as commodity processors raised the prices of  edible oil and sugar by up to Tk 13 per kg.

Over the last decade Bangladesh has been enjoying the benefits of a shift in work orders from China and some other countries in many product categories. 

Bangladesh started its journey as a garment exporting nation in 1978 with the shipment of a few thousand formal shirts to a French buyer, MNR. 

Rising temperatures, shifting of orders from China, and changes in fashion have all made Bangladesh a major manufacturer of sweaters in recent years.

The beginning of the export of T-shirts from Bangladesh was considered to be a landmark in the history of the garment manufacturing as it helped the country widen the product base.