An increase in the global market
share of Bangladeshi denim products is prompting fabrics millers to expand
their businesses to meet the growing demand.Denim fabric producers from home
and abroad signalled their intentions when talking to the Dhaka Tribune at the
Bangladesh Denim Expo at Bashundhara International Convention City in Dhaka.According
to Eurostat data, Bangladesh exported denim products worth $699 million (€603
million) to the EU in the first six months of this year, a rise of 5.7% on the
$662 million (€571 million)
exported in the corresponding period in 2016.
Between January and July of this year, the country earned $393 million from the
US, a 6.6% increase on the same period last year, according to data released by
Otexa.“As the demand for denim fabrics sees an upward trend, we have taken
various steps to increase our production capacity,” said Sayeed Ahmad
Chowdhury, general manager (operations) of Square Denim.Square Denim produces
1.5 million yards of fabrics a month, but this is expected to hit the three-million mark from next
month.
“As China is gradually moving
away from producing low-end products, we are receiving a huge number of orders for denim
products. We have to effectively utilise this opportunity,” Sayeed stressed.The
production of denim products in Bangladesh was initially dependent on the
importation of fabrics.However,
60% of the fabrics are now sourced locally.According to Bangladesh Textile
Mills Association (BTMA), there are 32 denim mills with a total annual production capacity of
about 443 million metres.
The sourcing of quality fabrics produced by local millers helps the denim
manufacturers meet their lead times.Sayeed said: “The quality of denim fabrics
is defined by washing effects so these are an important
factor in producing high-end products and determining their quality.“Intensive
washing can have various effects on products. So, attention should be given to quality denim products, most of which
are being manufactured by Bangladeshi factories.”
The expo in Dhaka was attended by
a large number of foreign fabric producers as well as technology providers, all
hoping to attract denim makers and make Bangladesh a sourcing destination for their
products.“I believe that Bangladesh is a very important sourcing place for RMG
products,” said Saandeep Baheti, head of business development at Bhaskar Denim,
a fabric manufacturer based in India.“It has the strength to grab more
market share in the global denim business. We are here to expand our fabric
market share (and) we brought forward a variety of fabrics so that we can
attract more denim makers.”
Currently, the Indian company produces 40 million yards of denim fabrics a
year. It supplies about six million yards (15 %) of the total production to 20
Bangladeshi companies.Mostafiz Uddin, founder and chief executive officer
Bangladesh Denim Expo, said: “Our targets are to improve the whole denim and
apparel industry to bring excellence to the sector, share knowledge and
increase collaboration that would help highlight
the best practices and potential to manufacture more quality products.”Sami Ben
Cheik, a sales representative at a Turkish company called Sharbati Denim, said the expo had already brought
unprecedented success.“For the first time ever, we have arrived here [in
Bangladesh] and we have some customers. I
think more and more customers will be coming here as the Bangladeshi denim
market is very competitive,” he said.
Source: The Daily Star, Bangladesh Tuesday, 14 November 2017