BGMEA DAILY DIGEST
News published in media related to RMG: Today’s RMG News

Textile Focus
If we cannot upgrade the business capabilities and value addition of the industry, the achievements in environmental and social fronts will be uncertain: Message from Faruque Hassan, President, BGMEA It is a tremendous pride for us that BGMEA has been honored with the “2021 USGBC Leadership Award” for its exemplary leadership in promoting environmental sustainability and green industrialization in the RMG industry. BGMEA is the only association in the world to receive such award and to be recognized as the pioneer in global green industries. We have to keep and continue all of these transformations and momentum that we have achieved, but most importantly we need to upgrade our business model. If we cannot upgrade the business capabilities and value addition of the industry, the achievements in environmental and social fronts will be uncertain. So the next story of transformation should be around how we can go for innovation, up-gradation, value addition, diversification, and the 4th Industrial revolution. 

Textile Focus
Price of imported apparel from Bangladesh in the United States decreased to 2.60 dollars The effects of the COVID-19 epidemic have had a negative influence on Bangladesh’s garment exports to the United States. According to data from the US Department of Commerce, the price of imported apparel in the United States decreased to 2.60 dollars in February of this year, compared to 2.95 dollars in the SMEs of February 2020. The US imported $5.39 billion worth of clothing in February this year, compared to $5.91 billion in February 2020. During the epidemic last year, prices of Bangladeshi-produced t-shirts fell in the US market, despite the fact that the same t-shirt made in Vietnam cost nearly twice as much in the US market. A dozen cotton T-shirts from Bangladesh cost $17.99 in 2020, down from $22.43 in 2019, while a similar product from Vietnam cost $31.9 in 2020, down from $38.2 in 2019.

The New Age
Policy drafted to simplify service export proceeds repatriation The Bangladesh Bank has drafted a policy with a view to simplifying its existing rules so that service exporters can repatriate their proceeds more conveniently. A draft circular published in this regard stated that the central bank would allow the country’s service providers to bring in money against their service exports from any online payment gateway service provider through the banking channel. The country’s service exporters would be able to repatriate money home even if the OPGSPs, with whom the service exporters are maintaining notional accounts, did not have any arrangements with the country’s banks. The central bank published the draft circular on Thursday on its webpage seeking feedback from the stakeholders.

The New Age
Importers asked to take release of goods on time to avoid auction The Customs House Chattogram has requested traders to take release of their goods imported through the sea port and air ports within the stipulated date mentioned in the law to avoid facing legal action, including public auction of the goods. The CHC has recently issued a public notice asking importers and their customs and clearing agents to take release of goods within 30 days of arrival of goods at the Chattogram sea port and within 21 days of arrival at the Hazrat Shah Amanat International Airport. Customs authorities may also allow additional time for release of goods. The CHC in the notice warned that customs authorities would put the goods on auction or take legal action as per the Customs Act-1969 if the goods were not released on time.

The Daily Star
GLOBAL COTTON TRADE: Bangladesh among 3 countries leading recovery, USDA  Bangladesh has joined two other countries to lead the global cotton trade recovery as the demand for the commodity has risen sharply thanks to buoyant apparel shipments, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). "Record global trade is boosted, led by robust demand in China, Bangladesh, and Turkey," the USDA said in its June report. "The recovery trend is good, and it will not be short-term this time," said Faruque Hassan, president of the BGMEA. However, it will take long to recoup the industry's losses from last year because of the fallouts of the Covid-19, he said. "We have been receiving a handful of work orders. There has been the reinstatement of previous orders. But many factories are running at losses," Hassan said.

বাংলাদেশ প্রতিদিন
ব্যাংক ঋণের কিস্তি পরিশোধে বেকায়দায় ব্যবসায়ীরা করোনা মহামারীর দ্বিতীয় ঢেউয়ে দেশের ব্যবসা-বাণিজ্য এবং অর্থনৈতিক কার্যক্রমে বিরূপ প্রভাব বিরাজমান। অধিকাংশ শিল্প ও ব্যবসাপ্রতিষ্ঠান ব্যাংক ঋণের কিস্তি সময়মতো পরিশোধ করতে পারছে না। ফলে ব্যাংক ঋণের কিস্তি পরিশোধে বেকায়দায় পড়েছেন ব্যবসায়ীরা। এই তথ্য অর্থ মন্ত্রণালয় ও বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংককে জানিয়ে দেওয়া চিঠিতে এফবিসিসিআই বলেছে- চলমান করোনা পরিস্থিতিতে বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংকের দেওয়া সুবিধাসমূহের মেয়াদ বাড়ানো না হলে, অধিকাংশ ব্যবসাপ্রতিষ্ঠান অনিচ্ছাকৃত খেলাপি গ্রাহকে পরিণত হবে। যা ব্যাংকিং খাতসহ পুরো অর্থনীতিতে নেতিবাচক প্রভাব ফেলবে। এ অবস্থায় দেশের শিল্প ও ব্যবসা-বাণিজ্যসহ সংশ্লিষ্ট সব খাতের ঋণ বিরূপমান শ্রেণিকরণ প্রক্রিয়া আগামী ৩১ ডিসেম্বর পর্যন্ত স্থগিত রাখতে হবে। 

প্রথম আলো
সহায়তা পেলেন ৭ হাজার শ্রমিক রপ্তানিমুখী পোশাকশিল্পের শ্রমিকদের কল্যাণে শ্রম ও কর্মসংস্থান মন্ত্রণালয়ের অধীনে কেন্দ্রীয় তহবিল থেকে এখন পর্যন্ত সাত হাজার শ্রমিক ও তাঁদের পরিবারের সদস্যদের ৯৩ কোটি ১৮ লাখ টাকা অর্থসহায়তা দেওয়া হয়েছে। শ্রমিকদের অসুস্থতা ও সন্তানের পড়াশোনা এবং শ্রমিকের মৃত্যুতে তাঁদের পরিবারের সদস্যরা এই সহায়তা পেয়েছেন। রাজধানীর বিজয়নগরে শ্রম ভবনে গতকাল শ্রম প্রতিমন্ত্রী বেগম মন্নুজান সুফিয়ানের সভাপতিত্বে কেন্দ্রীয় তহবিলের ১৪তম বোর্ড সভায় এই তথ্য জানানো হয়। সভায় জানানো হয়, ২০১৬ সালে গঠিত কেন্দ্রীয় তহবিলে এখন পর্যন্ত ২৮২ কোটি ৪২ লাখ টাকা জমা হয়েছে। সভায় শ্রমসচিব কে এম আবদুস সালাম, কেন্দ্রীয় তহবিলের ভারপ্রাপ্ত মহাপরিচালক সেলিনা বকতার, কলকারখানা ও প্রতিষ্ঠান পরিদর্শন অধিদপ্তরের মহাপরিদর্শক নাসির উদ্দিন আহমেদ, বিজিএমইএর সহসভাপতি এস এম মান্নান, বিকেএমইএর সহসভাপতি মোহাম্মদ হাতেম, শ্রমিকনেতা সিরাজুল ইসলাম প্রমুখ উপস্থিত ছিলেন।

The New Age
Covid vaccine for RMG workers demanded Leaders of Garment Sramik Samhati on Friday at a protest rally in front of the National Press Club called on the government to administer Covid vaccine to the readymade garment workers on a priority basis. President of the organisation Taslima Akhter, who chaired the rally, urged the government and the factory owners to vaccinate the garment workers as soon as possible to ensure their safety.

The Business Standard
Recovery path uncertain for developing countries, says Oxford economist There is uncertainty about economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and growth in developing countries like Bangladesh as they cannot take out huge loans like the developed countries, says development economist Professor Lant Pritchett. "Developed countries are lending money to their people to cope with the pandemic impacts. They are doing it to keep the cycle of consumption on. They are thus expected to return to rapid growth, but not all countries can do it the same way," he said in the keynote at an online conference on Thursday. Professor Pritchett is the RISE Research Director in the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford.

The Business Standard
Brac, H&M Foundation to host 3-day global conference on RMG A three-day global conference on safeguarding the livelihood of women workers in Bangladesh's ready made garment sector will begin on June 22.  Brac and H&M Foundation will host the virtual event titled "STITCH for RMG Global Innovation Conference," a press release said on Thursday, adding that the conference is being organised as part of the "Safeguarding through Innovation and Technology Challenge (STITCH)" project. The project – undertaken by Brac and H&M Foundation, a concern of the global RMG giant H&M Group – aims to map the road for sustainable growth of the RMG industry through a multi-stakeholder approach. The conference will bring together industry experts from around the world in a bid to protect the livelihoods of women garment workers, mainly from automation. Helena Helmersson, chief executive officer of H&M Group, and Faruque Hassan, president of BGMEA will attend the conference among others.

The Daily Star
Bangladesh overtakes Hong Kong to become India’s 4th largest export destination Bangladesh has become the fourth largest destination for exports from India overtaking Hong Kong in the first three months of the ongoing calendar year, according to Indian Commerce Ministry data. India's exports to Bangladesh rose 46 percent on an annual basis at 3.16 billion USD during the January to March period, securing the fourth position after the US (15.41 billion USD), China (5.92 billion USD) and UAE (5.34 billion USD).  Indian merchandise exports to Bangladesh, which saw a 35.14 percent year-on-year growth to 0.95 billion USD in January and 17 percent to 0.94 billion USD in February, rose to 1.26 billion USD in March. 

The Business Post
Ban on Bangladesh arrivals to remain in place, says Italy  Italy is introducing mandatory testing and a five-day quarantine for visitors from Britain, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Friday, as concerns grow over the spread of a highly contagious coronavirus variant. At the same time, Italy will lift curbs on travellers from the United States, Canada, Japan and other European Union states if they have a green pass showing they are vaccinated or recently tested negative, the minister wrote on Facebook. A ban on people arriving from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will remain in place, he added. The new measures will come into force on Monday, a health ministry spokesman said.