Refrain from programmes that may hurt the country, economy: BGMEA President

President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan on Friday requested the concerned parties to refrain from programmes that may hurt the country and its economy.

He said they came to know that some organisations announced to observe a labour strike in the apparel sector from January 1 which is unexpected, the BGMEA said in a statement on Friday.

“Such a programme is never favourable, rather we think it is an attempt to destabilise the industry. When we are going through a difficult situation in the national and international arena,” he said.

The BGMEA president said if any programme is observed in the name of strike it will hamper the country’s economy and give a negative message about the industry in the world and create confusion among the buyers, which is not desirable at all.

Addressing the current export picture of the country, Faruque said garment exports from Bangladesh to major markets declined in the first 10 months of this year.

In the first 10 months of the year, US’s apparel imports from all over the world fell by 22.71 per cent in dollar value and 23.80 per cent in volume, he said, adding that the import from Bangladesh to the US also decreased by 24.75 per cent in dollar value and 29.51 per cent in volume.

At the same time, the import from Bangladesh to the European Union in terms of dollar value decreased by 17.32 per cent and by 17.13 per cent in volume, he said.

So the pace of global apparel imports has slowed down and the unit price of apparel has also decreased in 2023 compared to 2022, the BGMEA president said.

In this context, there is an apprehension that the global apparel trade in 2023 will be less than in 2022, he added.