Bangladeshi garment makers, who would earlier set up their warehouses in Gujarat, have shifted their focus to West Bengal.
Earlier in June 2015, when Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh, garment makers were lobbying to set up garment apparel factories in Gujarat and demanded 50 acres of land for the same. But now the focus has shifted to west Bengal due to the state’s proximity to Bangladesh. They think that Gujarat would be not be beneficial for their business owing to long distance.
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However, according to Siddiqur Rahman, President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, the Indian government is more willing to shell out land for factories than for setting up warehouses.
According to Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Abdul Matlub Ahmad, the setting up of warehouses in Bengal will be commercially viable for the Bangladeshi garment manufacturers. He has also proposed the idea at the business summit in Bengal held last month and the government also showed considerable interest in allocating the land for the purpose.He is sure that if the west Bengal proposal passes, exporters may also set up apparel park in the state.
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The plan for warehousing came since Bangladesh has set the target to boost its apparel exports to Indian market to US$1 billion in the next three years, which currently stands at US $100 million. India is a big market and Bangladesh exported garment items worth $104.25 million to India in fiscal 2014-15, up 8.3 percent year-on-year.
