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Viewing cable 07DHAKA1590, BANGLADESH TEXTILES AND APPAREL PRODUCTION

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07DHAKA1590 2007-10-01 09:43 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Dhaka
VZCZCXRO3050
PP RUEHCI
DE RUEHKA #1590/01 2740943
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 010943Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5218
INFO RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 8107
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 1838
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 9296
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0200
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 0932
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 001590 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EEB/TPP/ABT GCLEMENTS 
COMMERCE FOR ITA/OTEXA MD'ANDREA 
STATE PASS TO USTR CMILLER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD ECON KTEX BG
SUBJECT: BANGLADESH TEXTILES AND APPAREL PRODUCTION 
 
REF: STATE 114799 
 
 1.  Summary: Bangladesh has performed well in the post-quota 
era, despite fears of competition from China and India.  In 
2006 it raised its share of the U.S. market, and sales to the 
EU market, helped by duty-free access, have soared.  The 
volume of exports increased by 16 percent in the year ending 
June 30, 2007, despite several months of political turmoil 
and labor unrest.  Overall prices in the Ready Made Garment 
(RMG) sector fell by approximately one percent from the year 
earlier.  The industry continues to face challenges related 
to increased global competition, infrastructure, governance 
and political uncertainty.  End Summary. 
 
Requested Data 
-------------- 
 
2.  Post is pleased to provide the data requested reftel, 
together with information on the sources and reliability of 
the data.  Answers below are keyed to reftel questions.  Data 
provided for fiscal years (FY) 2006 and 2007 represent the 
Bangladesh fiscal years which ended June 30, 2006 and 2007, 
respectively. 
 
A) Total Industrial production in calendar year 2006 was USD 
17.4 billion and in calendar year 2007 is projected at USD 
19.1 billion. 
 
B) Total apparel production in FY 2006 was USD 8.1 billion 
and for FY 2007 was USD 9.4 billion. 
 
C) Information on the share of textiles and apparel in 
Bangladesh,s total imports is not available.  However, 
approximately 77% of Bangladesh,s total exports were in the 
textile and apparel sector in FY 2006 and 78% in FY 2007. 
 
D) Exports to the United States in this sector came to USD 
2.6 billion in FY 2006 and USD 3.1 billion in FY 2007. 
 
E) Reliable data on total manufacturing employment is scarce. 
 However, it is estimated that approximately 10% of 
Bangladesh,s 60 million-strong labor force is engaged in 
manufacturing, or roughly 6 million people (WB). 
 
F) Approximately 2.4 million were employed in ready made 
garment (RMG) manufacturing in 2006.  Data on textile 
employment is less reliable, probably ranging between 500,000 
and 900,000.  These figures do not include those engaged in 
traditional handloom production or textile-related service 
employment. 
 
3.  Data sourcing and reliability: Post collected information 
from the three major industry associations ) Bangladesh 
Textile Mills Association (BTMA), Bangladesh Garments 
Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the 
Bangladesh Export Promotion Board (BEPB), as well as from the 
World Bank,s Development Indicators database (April 2007) 
and the Asian Development Bank,s Quarterly Economic Update 
(June 2007).  Finding current and accurate data is difficult 
in Bangladesh because of the unavailability of timely 
official data, lack of coordination between different 
agencies, lack of trained workforce in this area, and the 
long processing time to organize collected data.  Some of the 
figures were derived from data in different sources.  The 
data provided is believed to be the best information 
available. 
 
Additional Information 
---------------------- 
 
4.  Bangladeshi RMG manufacturers are under continuing 
pressure from buyers to reduce prices.  Having already 
declined in 2005-06, prices continued to decline in 2006-07. 
The total value of exports continues to rise because of 
expanding export volume, but profit margins are thinning. 
BGMEA reported a reduction in orders beginning in late 2006, 
citing growing competition from Vietnam and Cambodia and a 
weakened U.S. market. 
 
5.  Bangladesh has clearly benefited from U.S. and EU 
restrictions on certain Chinese apparel exports, and many in 
the industry worry that the removal of those restrictions in 
2008 will negatively impact the RMG sector.  The government 
 
DHAKA 00001590  002 OF 002 
 
 
has neither imposed nor considered imposing quotas or other 
restrictions on Chinese textile and apparel products, as 
Bangladesh depends on Chinese imports for textile industry 
inputs. 
 
6.  The government of Bangladesh has no policies in place to 
address dislocated or displaced workers.  Bangladesh already 
has some of the lowest labor costs in the global textile and 
apparel industry.  Bangladesh's success in the global market, 
coupled with rising domestic prices for staples, has created 
pressure for increased wages.  These pressures have created 
tension between factory owners and labor, with owners feeling 
they have less flexibility in addressing labor demands. 
Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency since January 
2007, when an interim, or caretaker government, took power 
with a mandate to prepare the country for free and fair 
national elections, which are currently scheduled for 
December 2008.  The overall political environment of 
emergency rule has restricted labor union activity. 
 
7.  Chronic problems of infrastructure and governance 
continue to bedevil the industry (and economic growth 
generally) and threaten the industry's competitiveness in the 
medium term.  Electricity demand is growing at 8% annually, 
yet there has been a net loss in generating capacity over the 
past five years due to lack of new plants and deterioration 
of the installed base.  Operational capacity is estimated at 
50%-60% of current demand, and rolling blackouts are common. 
Although manufacturers often have captive power generators or 
standby diesel generators, high fuel costs and unreliable 
natural gas supplies increase costs and undermine 
productivity.  The interim government has had some 
infrastructure successes, particularly in port management and 
facilities.  Efforts are also underway to streamline customs 
procedures, although it remains to be seen how effective 
these efforts are in improving efficiency. 
 
8.  Bangladesh is not a partner in any free-trade agreements 
with the United States.  Because of Bangladesh,s recent 
expansion in exports, some industry experts fear that 
hostility from AGOA and CAFTA partners may lead to 
unfavorable trade policies in the future.  Although the 
caretaker government has taken some positive steps, one 
disadvantage is that the state of emergency,s limits on 
political activity have restricted labor organizations.  Such 
restrictions, along with the failure of factories to comply 
with labor reforms, have prompted a review of Bangladesh's 
GSP status. 
Pasi