We would like to believe that it is a temporary phenomenon, and as the president of the BGMEA has stated, the figures may move upward from the current month. In any case it has put us back by almost three months. There are, therefore, reasons to heed the warnings of those who advise that it was time we took note of the likely consequences of the downward trend.

Whatever may be the reason for the slide in the demand for our readymade garments, it is not an easy proposition to regain the lost market. While we have very little control on the weather conditions anywhere in the world, let alone in the countries we export our garments to, or to the spending propensity of the people of the importing countries, we can certainly make our products more competitive. One way of doing that is to ensure that the sector remains immune, to the extent possible, to any disturbances that hamper production. We have to make sure that the workers get the agreed minimum wage, and thus averting disorder in the garment industry. There are reportedly almost 400 factories that are yet to meet the commitment.

There is also the need to address the compliance issue, meeting the demands both in terms of quality as well as the welfare of the workers. Let's also not forget the fact that there has been a gradual increase in investment in this sector. There will be lot at stake if the increased productive capacity of our garment sector cannot be utilised or our projected figure of almost 8-10 billion dollar RMG export by end 2007 cannot be met.