Bangladesh’s apparel manufacturers seek to build on the forward linkage, particularly stressing on research and development to add value to its chain and further expand the growing industry.
Experts say, research on product innovation and process innovation according to demands of the garment industry is one of the ways forward to achieving the export target of US $ 50 billion by the year 2021.
“Bangladesh’s backward linkage is good, but the one aspect it misses out on is the forward linkage,” underlined Atiqul Islam, President of Centre of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industry (CEBAI).
“We don’t have forward linkage; for example, our own products and our own designs,” added the former President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), seeking the support of all the industry stakeholders to build on the forward linkage.
He was speaking at a workshop (held at Apparel Club in BGMEA Building on Tuesday) aimed to review the achievements of CEBAI and the way forward towards enhancing skills and adding value to the readymade garment sector of Bangladesh.
Srinivas Reddy, Country Director (Bangladesh), International Labour Organisation (ILO), also lauded the initiative and stressed on the need for a sustainable forward linkage, to be built on the serious commitment of the stakeholders.
“CEBAI has shown the way forward and ILO highly encourages the initiative. It will contribute to the growth of the industry,” Reddy added while advising CEBAI to work in close association and coordination with the apparel makers of the country.
BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman said the concentration on forward linkage would “tremendously help to improve the competitiveness of Bangladesh’s garment industry”.
“BGMEA is ready to extend all possible support to research and product innovation,” he said, adding that CEBAI must focus on enhancing the overall efficiency of the sector.
CEBAI, a brainchild of Atiqul Islam, is already working on capacity building of the workforce. It has trained its first batch of mid-level managers, which would add US $ 6 billion value per annum.
