Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine February Issue 2019 | Page 46

BANGLADESH CANVAS
Export potential worth US $ 17.4 billion were left
unused in 2017-18
Notwithstanding the developments
made, Bangladesh still seems to
be lacking in what matters the
most…, the ease of doing business!
If a recent study conducted by
Policy Research Institute (PRI)
of Bangladesh is something to
go by, export potential worth US
$ 17.4 billion remained unutilised
in Financial Year 2017-18 due to
lack of required ease for doing
business in Bangladesh.
As per Razzaque, intense
negotiation with the buyers for
better prices, lobbying with
the EU for signing free trade
agreement, product diversification,
improving infrastructure and
promoting competitiveness through
technology upgradation are the
need of the hour, as going with the
existing standard, it would not be
possible for Bangladesh to get GSP
Plus in the EU market, he felt.
Participating in the event,
Managing Director of Mohammadi
Group Rubana Huq reportedly
maintained that the pattern of
consumerism needed to be taken
into account as consumers were
not buying the same products and
in same quantities. She further
said that Bangladesh should not
consider achieving just Standard
GSP as exporters would not be
able to afford 8-10 per cent duty
imposition on RMG products.
The major constraints have
been low productivity, poor
infrastructure and low price
negotiation capacity by the
manufacturers, reportedly
stated PRI Research Director
MA Razzaque presenting the
findings of the study titled
‘Bangladesh LDC graduation and
Apparel Exports to the EU’ at
a seminar organised by PRI in
capital city Dhaka.
Automation may cut 60 per cent jobs in B'desh
apparel sector: Study
The advent of automation
may have come as a positive
development from the
manufacturers’ perspective – as
they can cut cost and increase
efficiencies through automation
– but the same cannot be
maintained about the workers.
As per a joint study by the
Government’s a2i project and
the International Labour
Organization (ILO), garment
sector will be the worst sufferer
amongst all in Bangladesh,
when it comes to automation.
There is a possibility of 27 lakh
or 60 per cent of jobs being lost,
says the study’s preliminary
outcome.
The full outcome will be made
available in January soon,
reportedly maintained Anir
Chowdhury, the Policy Advisor
of the a2i project, participating
at a discussion as part of an
event jointly organised by the
Dhaka Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (DCCI) and the
Bangladesh Centre for Fourth
Industrial Revolution (BCFIR) in
capital city Dhaka recently.
46 Apparel Online Bangladesh | FEBRUARY 2019 | www.apparelresources.com
Participating in the discussion
titled ‘4th Industrial Revolution:
Transition to Transformation –
Key Challenges and Opportunities
for Bangladesh’, seeking to
assess the impacts of artificial
intelligence on the country’s
future, Chowdhury further
reportedly underlined that some
53.8 lakh jobs are at risk in five
key areas of Bangladesh till 2041
for the advent of automation in
industries and services sector.
“These are conservative figures
and my personal assessment is
that the numbers will be higher…
We are actually in the mix of
the industrial revolution. We
know as a country we adopt
technology quickly. Job loss is
going to be our biggest challenge,”
concluded Anir.