Japan holds out hope for Bangladesh apparel

Japan could be a bright spot for apparel exports from Bangladesh if the quality of products and lead-time are adhered to strictly, speakers said.
At a Saturday seminar on the quality control and inspection of apparels for the Japanese market held at Hotel Lake Shore in Dhaka, Harumitsu Hida, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Japan, said Japan's adoption of the China+1 policy is a great opportunity for Bangladesh.
"We should work toward further strengthening relationships between the two countries in a positive manner," Hida reiterated.
That Bangladesh has received the signal and initiated widening its niche in the Japanese market was evident from its performance last year compared with the earlier figures, the speakers said.
Bangladesh exported knitwear worth $21.98 million in fiscal 2008-09, registering 203.9 percent growth, compared to 2007-08.
From woven product exports, Bangladesh earned $52.39 million in fiscal 2008-09, a 151.9 percent rise from fiscal 2007-08, according to Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) data.
Takashi Suzuki, Dhaka representative of JETRO, said Cambodia has demonstrated productivity improvement and achieved competitiveness despite high labour costs at home.
"Although Bangladeshi manufacturers enjoy relative cost advantages, yet its total size has been shrinking due to little or no productivity growth. While new entrants registered good performances, efforts of the existing firms need to be geared up to survive in the competition," Suzuki said.
Cambodian firms bagged increased profits by improving productivity significantly whereas the profit earnings of the Bangladesh firms fell, because of a rise in wages and modest growth of productivity. "But the profits are still not negligible, thanks to low labour costs," he added.
On the recent increased apparel import from Bangladesh by Japan, he said this has been mostly due to the Japanese giant Uniqlo's expansion, and many other Japanese companies are also looking for good suppliers in Bangladesh, he said.
Akihiro Miyata from Konoike-Euro Logistics (Bangladesh) Ltd said timely shipment and transport of goods are important for Japanese buyers.
He said if the consignments are at all delayed, buyers will have to be notified in advance along with detailed reports dispatched for such failures.
The packing materials -- cartons and boxes -- are also part of the goods and the exporters must take strict care about not wetting or damaging the cargoes while shipping goods for the Japanese importers, he said.
Akhtaruzzaman, managing director of Pacific Quality Control Co Ltd, and Hisao Nishiyama, general manager of QTEC Dhaka Lab, also spoke.