Bangladesh is the second biggest garment exporter globally and as is expected, the garment industry produces a large quantity of waste fabric (jhut) that the local recycled yarn manufacturers use to produce raw material for those into making and exporting towels, curtains and the likes.
However, an increasing trend of such wastes being exported has left such recycled yarn producers high and dry forcing many home furnishing and those manufacturing towels, quilts, etc., depend on imported yarns for their raw material requirements, as per media reports.
What’s more, export of jhut, which has been increasing by around 15 to 20 per cent a year for the last 5 years, has reportedly forced many local recycled textile units to shut their production lines for good.
“We are the largest recycled yarn producer in the country, and the oldest,” maintained Managing Director of Mother Textile Aliza Sultan speaking to the media, adding, “Many recycled yarn units have shut down their production lines. As the local textile sector has been feeling the heat of Chinese and Indian yarn, we are trying to diversify our business.”
It may be mentioned here that as per data of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh exported RMG waste worth US $ 64.95 million in fiscal year (FY) 2018-19, US $ 56.68 million in FY 2017-18, US $ 52.81 million in FY 2016-17 and US $ 44.20 million in FY 2015-16.
Further, in the past 5 months of the current fiscal, around US $ 33 million worth of jhut was shipped abroad, the export earnings from which is expected to reach around US $ 70 million by the end of FY ‘20.
