Home-textile export sees a boom

Even amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh’s export earnings from the home textile products posted a robust growth by 49.17% to $1.13 billion in the just-concluded fiscal year 2020- 21, which was $559 million in the same period a year ago. Said a data from Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

However, the exports earnings from the apparel goods posted a 12.55% growth to 31.45 billion in the year, while the country’s overall exports rose by 15.10% to $38.75 billion. Of the total earnings, $521.33 million came from bed and kitchen toilet lines products, which is 28.28% higher compared to $406.40 million of the previous fiscal year.

On the other hand, $611 million came from the other products. Home textile products include bed linen, bed sheet and other bedroom textiles, bath linen, carpets and rugs, blankets, kitchen linen, curtains, cushions and cushion cover and covers for quilts.

Talking to Textile Today, experts and sector people opined that the demands of home textile products rose as people stayed at home due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which pushed the exports of Bangladesh up.

''Amid the ongoing pandemic, people stayed at home to avoid infections, while they joined the office from home. On the other hand, peoples' movement, as well as travel, was restricted,”Mohammed Rashed Mosharrof, Executive Director (marketing) of Zaber and Zubair Fabrics told Textile Today.

As a result, the use of home textile products increased sharply mostly in European countries as well as in the United States of America (USA), which helped Bangladesh to earn more from the exports of these goods, said Rashed.

On the other hand, Bangladesh offers the best quality products basket to the global brands and retailers, which is another big reason for the sharp rise in exports earnings, he added.

On top of that capacity to produce bulk products also helped Bangladesh to grow amid the pandemic, which was possible by the government and sector people' s to keep factories open by maintaining the health safety guideline.

''To keep the factory operational amid the Covid-19, the government allowed factory owners to operate by following health safety measures. While Bangladesh has more capacity than others to cater the bulk demands of goods,'' M Shahadat Hossain, chairman of Bangladesh Terry Towel and Linen Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BTTLMEA) told the Textile Today.

While some of the countries failed to supply goods due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we were able to supply on time. That is why, buyers placed more orders in Bangladesh and we gained from that, said the business leader.

In retaining the growth, the trade leader urged the government to continue the present policy support and offer more incentives and low-cost funds for working capital.

''As Bangladesh is the choice for placing orders, both the government and the manufacturers of home textile products have to be very active to retain the interest. In doing so, the government should come up with policy support,'' Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director at Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) told the Textile Today.

He also urged the manufacturers to maintain health safety guidelines so that the workers’rights are ensured and their production remains active.