Apparel Online India Magazine March 1st Issue 2019 | Page 57

INDIA’S PREMIER SOURCING SHOW
So first I need to understand and
then will make the Prime Minister
understand.
AO: What are the major challenges
for Bangladesh today, including the
garment export industry?
Tipu Munshi (L), Commerce Minister with Md. Siddiqur Rahman, President, BGMEA
can be channelised properly and
brought into the mainstream. workers are coming because there
are no factories there, and people
need a job.
AO: With your garment export
background, what are the directions
you are looking at to grow the
industry? So, the one thing that I have
to think is how to get this plan
rolling. When Prime Minister made
me the Secretary, I was asked
to take care of that part of the
country, look at what work we can
do there, what are the industry
possibilities in that area, as that
place is an agricultural place. But
infrastructure and other facilities
have to be put in place before we
can even offer this idea to the
industry.
TM: My nearly 50 years of
business experience, a majority
of which is spent in the garment
manufacturing industry, has given
me a very deep understanding of
the potential and challenges that
the industry faces. I am very proud
of the entrepreneurial skills of the
people involved in the business and
the way they have responded to
innumerable challenges. This gives
me confidence that the industry still
has the hunger to grow. AO: Will this vision in anyway
support business opportunities with
India?
However, if we want to grow in the
business and also as an economy,
we will have to create more
productive workers. Significantly,
garment manufacturing is a trade
that has huge employment capacity.
I am from that part of the country
(Rangpur in north Bangladesh)
that is really deprived of job
opportunities, so I understand that
setting up factories in that region
is important, as it will be a win-win
situation for all. But to make the
same possible, Government will
need to create policies that will
encourage the companies that are
mostly situated in Dhaka City to set
up factories from where migrant TM: The region I am talking
about is very near to Shillong
in India, the border being only
about 9 kilometres away from
the nearest village this side.
However,  we will have to create
rail and road connectivity from
that part of India. I have already
put forward some ideas and if
everything goes as per plan, then
by December, we will be starting
the train. A lot of things can be
developed on that. I shall have to
sit with the sector once and find
answers to questions like, what is
their problem? what they want? and
what are the possibilities where
Government can back them up?
TM: As I said, providing employment
opportunities to a wider section of
the society is a big challenge, but
also it is important to invest in skill
development at all levels. As of now,
many expats are working in the
country and the local talent does not
have the same level of competency
or number to fulfil the growing
need. Our PM is very clued in about
this need and she is heading a skill
development committee to look into
the skill issues.
As for talent training for the
garment industry, the BGMEA
institute BUFT has just shifted
(in December) to a new premise.
It is a 4,00,000 sq. ft. building with
student capacity of more than 6,000.
Education for this industry is very
close to my heart and I am one of
the founder members and also on
the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the
university. The work has already
started and many companies are
now looking to recruit local talent,
which is good both for the industry
and the country.
AO: What are the biggest positives
that you see for Bangladesh today?
TM: More than anything else, it is
the positivity that one can feel in
the country and its youth. The way
the young people are involved in
the development of the country at
different levels is very encouraging.
I think, people’s mind is different
now, they want to improve their
lifestyle, see their country grow
and these are positive signs for any
country. So, I think it is the time we
start a new phase of growth for the
country and the industry. Even a
study from the US suggests that by
2030, Bangladesh may become the
26th biggest economy in the world.
So that’s a big thing for a country
which was considered until a few
years ago as underdeveloped.
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