Clothing and textile factories in Bangladesh, whose production is expected to account for 90% of the national export this year, reopened yesterday after being closed due to protests that led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier this week.
Hasina resigned and left the country on Monday after violent police actions against anti-government demonstrators resulted in 300 deaths and thousands of injuries since July.
The clothing and textile factories that supply leading Western brands such as Zara, H&M, and Carrefour were forced to suspend production due to a curfew imposed after the unrest.
“We lost a total of four days, and it’s too early to estimate the losses. The factories sustained minimal damage,” said Miran Ali, Vice President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
He expressed hope that the situation would fully normalize in the coming days. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the garment industry to cover 90% of Bangladesh’s annual exports, valued at 55 billion dollars, in the fiscal year 2024.
Last year, Bangladesh was the third-largest clothing exporter in the world, after China and the European Union (EU), according to data from the World Trade Organization, Biznis Info reports.
E.Dz.
