The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Country's readymade garment industry leaders yesterday portrayed an awful scenario of 35 per cent order cut of their targeted US$12 billion export during the last three months.

"We are very much worried that export order in RMG sector fall by 35 per cent during the last three months compared to our target," President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Anwarul Alam Chowdhury Parvez told a news conference at his office.

Parvez said last year's political unrest in Bangladesh, short winter in the West and price hike of oil in the international market were the reasons behind the fall in export orders.

He feared that such a situation might compel the garment factory owners to stop paying salaries of the next three months and two Eid bonuses in time. In this circumstance the BGMEA chief urged the Government to provide soft loan to the RMG factories for six months through commercial banks.

The BGMEA chief also urged the government to announce RMG as thrust sector and establish a separate ministry--- named apparel ministry--- for the sector to help the sector.

Parvez said some external factors are affecting the sector incredibly that they cannot avoid for the lack of government initiatives. In this context, he mentioned the lack of skilled manpower especially in the mid level management He called upon the government to train the mid level management in the vocational institutes and also include the mid level management of RMG sector in the curriculum of the universities.

"Foreign currency earning to the tune of US$50 billion in the next 10 years is not impossible from the sector if the problems are solved on priority basis," he said. BGMEA director Abdus Salam Murshedi and other directors, among others, were present on the occasion.