Underlining that the readymade garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh, which accounts for around 80 per cent of the country’s total exports, has suffered in various ways due to the coronavirus pandemic, a study has revealed that more than 50 per cent of country’s export-oriented garment makers have had to take orders for products at much lower prices than before in case of emergency due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Titled ‘Weakest Link in Global Supply Chain: How the Pandemic is Effecting Bangladesh Garment Workers’, the study further underlined that buyers demanded price cuts on new orders that are bigger than the year-over-year reductions buyers usually ask for, citing several apparel manufacturers, even as it went on to add that manufacturers reported that when the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions first hit in early March 2020, 77 per cent had at least some of their orders cancelled without payment from buyers while currently, only 27 per cent of these same suppliers maintain that all or most of their orders have been paid in full.
As per the study, a majority of suppliers said they have less than half the order volume now relative to the same period last year, and 57 per cent reported that, if current patterns continue, it is extremely likely or somewhat likely that they will be forced out of business even as the study maintained that on average, manufacturers surveyed will have to wait 77 days after they complete and ship customers’ new orders, to receive payment while before the pandemic, the average was 43 days.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
