Bangladesh a key sourcing destination

British retail giant Primark's CEO Paul Marchant has praised the development Bangladesh's garment sector has achieved in production of apparels in green factories.

Bangladesh's apparel industry is a very important sourcing destination for Primark, he said.

Garments made in Bangladesh are very popular to them, Merchant said.

He made the comments after a meeting with Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi and Prime Minister's Private Industries and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman at the commerce ministry in Dhaka yesterday.

After the meeting, Munshi in a statement from the commerce ministry said he is hopeful that the British company will source more garment items from Bangladesh.

The local manufacturers are capable to supply any quantity of goods as they have increased their capacities over the years, the minister said.

Previously, some foreign-skilled workforce was employed in the garment sector, but currently local human resources have been developed and they are catering for the sector's needs, he said.

Munshi also said the exporters and the government have been working to achieve the target of $100 billion apparel shipment by 2030, up from $42 billion made in the last fiscal year.

Bangladesh is still capable of supplying garment items at low prices despite stiff global competition, Prime Minister's Adviser Rahman said.

The local garment exporters faced a difficult time because of the cancellation of work orders by some international retailers and brands during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

Both Munshi and Rahman demanded fair prices from the international retailers and brands.