Lingerie a growth segment for most
COVER STORY after Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed reportedly assured that he would recommend the Finance Ministry to provide cash incentive to the RMG accessories exporters . “ I will collect information about the garment accessories from the Export Promotion Bureau ( EPB ) and send it to the Finance Ministry with recommendation to provide cash incentives to the exporters ,” Ahmed reportedly said while throwing open the four-day GAPEXPO-2017 in Dhaka . The Minister also assured of all possible Government support for the development of the sector .
Concentrating on improving the export volumes is no doubt a very good step towards ensuring the growth of the accessory sector but at a time when the garment manufacturers are looking at value additions and adding new product categories , there might still be scope enough within the domestic market to provide the momentum .
Garment exporters are very happy with the way the accessory segment has kept pace with their requirements , but there are still some products that have to be imported . “ The accessories sector has developed tremendously and we are mostly using accessories manufactured locally . But we still need to import certain accessory items like buttons , rubber patches , lace and metal items from time to time ,” admits Zakirul Alam , MD of Zas Apparels Ltd . Zakirul ’ s sentiments found an echo in Chaminda Jayaweera – Manager CSR & Sustainability , Hop Yick Bangladesh Ltd . who underlined that the company uses the locally available accessories like poly bags and cartons but have to depend on overseas for products like bra foam cup , ring , slide , fold over elastic , lace , etc . Chaminda stressed on quality improvement , innovation , use of latest technology , third-party certification , ethical & environmental compliance , transparency and improved lead time as certain areas like the accessory sector needs to be looked into and addressed .
Accessory manufacturers upbeat of potential growth …
Lingerie a growth segment for most
The upward moving garment industry in Bangladesh is ably supported by the accessory manufacturers , who thrive to remain in tune with the requirements of the industry and support them with better services and products . BGAPMEA , the official association for this industry claims that there are about 1,500 companies engaged in manufacturing accessories and packaging material for the RMG sector . These companies have supported the export industry in reducing the lead times and decreasing dependency on imported accessories . The strength of the industry can be gauged from the fact that last year the sector earned US $ 6.12 billion in foreign exchange . Now the focus of the industry is shifting very strongly towards narrow fabrics as most of the companies see undergarments and lingerie as the next big opportunity .
Montrim , a leading accessory manufacturer in Bangladesh , is expecting to see a three-fold rise in its growth by setting up its own dyeing unit in 2017 and by expanding majorly in narrow fabrics and other lingerie-related products . At present ,
it produces 7,000-8,000 yards per day which will increase to 25,000- 30,000 yards per day once the house dyeing mill becomes operational . “ We have a certain edge coming from a garmenting background , as we understand quality parameters and the challenge of fulfilling commitments ,” says Nahid Hossain , Sr . Deputy
Sheikh Mohammad Khobir ( L ) – MD , RSS Thread & Accessories with Sheikh Ali Zulfiqar – Director Marketing , RSS Thread & Accessories
www . apparelresources . com | MAY 2017 | Apparel Online Bangladesh 15