Risky Dhk-Ctg Highway
RMG buyers mull shifting orders to Ctg
Global buyers of Bangladesh readymade garment products are mulling to shift their work orders to factories located in Chittagong from Dhaka as the factories in the port city enjoy less disruption in transportation of their products to the port for shipment amid general strikes and blockades. Some international buyers have already expressed their interest to place orders with the factories located in Chittagong instead of Dhaka and its adjacent areas, factory owners of Chittagong told New Age on Monday.
Exporters said that the entrepreneurs of port city usually enjoy some preferences over export business but they have no capacity to handle huge quantities of orders.
‘Amid political unrest, exporters of Chittagong port city are enjoying some advantages in shipment and so buyers are interested to shift their orders here… but we could not build our capacity to maintain additional orders,’ Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, managing director of Eastern Apparels Ltd, told New Age.
He said Chittagong is becoming an attractive zone for the garment business and also for the global buyers as it is a port city and there is no labour unrest in the city.
Nasir, also former vice-president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said that in view of the current political situation, the government and entrepreneurs should take initiative to increase the capacity of garment sector in Chittagong zone.
‘Cotton Heritage, an American buyer who produce knit products from Gazipur, now wants to shift its orders to Chittagong to ensure shipment in due time,’ Sheikh Sadi, managing director of Shatabdi Garments Limitedh told New Age.
He said that the buyer requested him to locate factories in Chittagong which would be interested to receive the orders of knit products.
Sadi said that that he used to produce woven products for Cotton Heritage for long.
‘The buyer is thinking to shift its orders to Chittagong only for political instability as they are worried about the transportation from Dhaka to Chittagong port,’ he said.
Nafid Nabi, managing director of BSA Apparels Ltd, said that amid the disruption of supply chain global buyers are becoming interested in placing orders to the Chittagong but manufacturers of Chittagong have failed to take the orders due to inadequate production capacity.
There are only 700 factories in Chittagong and most of them are small and medium scale factories. So, despite interest of international buyers the factory owners
could not receive additional orders due to lack of capacity and efficiency, he said.
‘Strategically, Chittagong is more suitable area in Bangladesh for the garment business and we should increase the number of factories in the Chittagong zone,’ Nafid said.
BGMEA vice-president Shahidullah Azim told New Age he heard that some buyers were keen to shift their orders to Chittagong to ensure supply in right time.
‘Buyers are very much worried about the transportation disruption between Dhaka and Chittagong and so they are thinking that if they placed order in the factories in Chittagong the shipment of the products will be ensured in time,’ he said.
-With New Age input
