RMG industry incurred $400m loss amid unrest: BGMEA

Bangladesh's apparel industry has faced a production loss of around $400 million due to the latest worker unrest in September and October in the Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur industrial areas.

Some work orders also shifted to the competitor countries considering the law and order situation, said Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Saturday.

During a press conference at the BGMEA office in the capital's Uttara, the BGMEA chief also said some international fashion retailers and brands are coming back again with the restoration of normalcy in the sector.

Rafiqul said law and order and discipline are the major challenges for the country's RMG industry now.

He said the factories are now running normally after some collective efforts from the government, law enforcement agencies, labour leaders, and BGMEA.

The BGMEA president requested the government not to disconnect utility lines like gas and electricity in any industry for three months, as many were affected by the labour unrest.

He also urged the government to reduce the bank interest rates to single digit.

Rafiqul Islam also requested the government to allow apparel makers to bring CNG from the CNG filling stations to run their production during the gas shortage in the national grid.