Germany Emerges Largest Market For Bangladesh's Textile and Clothing Exports

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Germany Emerges Largest Market For Bangladesh's Textile and Clothing Exports

Bangladesh Textile Industry

- Textiles and especially readymade garments account for 90% of the country's total exports

- Bangladesh exports to 175 countries

- The country has 3200 clothing factories and 1430 textile mills in operation

- The industry employs 4.4 million workers

- 71% of cotton output and 91% of MMF produced in Bangladesh is consumed locally

Bangladesh's T&C exports in 2017-18 (July-June) perceived a growth of 8.9% totaling to US$ 32872.01 million over the previous fiscal for the same period. The growth was led by apparel exports, which account 93% of total T&C exports of the country. Bangladesh's apparel exports account for 83% of the country's total exports.

Apparel exports totaled to US$ 30614.76 million in 2017-18 with growth of 8.76% over the previous fiscal. Country-wise Germany has taken the top position from United State with an export value of US$ 5672.70 million and share of 17% from the total T&C export of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's commodity-wise T&C exports

In RMG exports, woven apparel share the major stake with 47% totaling to US$ 15426.25 million and witnessed a growth of 7.18% in the last fiscal year. In woven apparel exports, men's suits, jackets, blazers, trousers, etc., has been exported most from Bangladesh to the world with total value of US$ 6389.38 million with 41% share from the total woven apparel exports to the world. Top market for this commodity is United States where its exports totalled to US$ 1894.95 million. Germany is not too far where the exports of men's suits, jackets, blazer trousers etc., totalled to US$ 1037.81 million.

In the woven apparels second highest exported commodity is women's suit, jackets, dresses, skirts etc. The commodity totalled its exports to US$ 3978.47 million with share of 26% from the total woven apparel exports in 2017-18. United States stays on the top here too with US$ 899.46 million export value. Exports to United Kingdom and Germany totalled to US$ 684.91 million and US$ 479.57 million respectively.

In knitted apparels commodity, T-shirts, singlets and other vest are exported the most to the world from Bangladesh. The commodity totalled an export value of US$ 6292.25 million in 2017-18 with growth of 7.34% from the previous fiscal and it stakes 41% share from the total knitted apparel exports from Bangladesh. Bangladesh exported T-shirts, singlets and other vest the most to Germany totalling to US$ 1166.38 million, followed by United Kingdom with US$ 752.25 million and Spain by US$ 585.17 million.

The second top commodity in this segment is women's suits and ensembles, which totalled to US$ 1464.17 million, growth of 19.97% in 2017-18. Germany tops in this segment with export value of US$ 420.98 million and shares 29% from total Knitted apparel exports from Bangladesh. Women's overcoat in the knitted apparels have shown an impressive growth of 38.57% totaling to US$ 236.69 million in the last fiscal over the previous fiscal.

Second topmost commodity in Bangladesh's T&C export is other textile fibres, the product summed export value of US$ 902.73 million with a growth of 8.13% in 2017-18 over the previous fiscal and share only 3% from the total T&C exports of Bangladesh. In this product category, yarn of jute or of other textile blast fibre was exported the most from Bangladesh to the world totalling to US$ 647.72million with a growth of 6.55% and Turkey ranks on top for this product with an export of US$ 227.46 million and the country shares 35% from the total exports of yarn of jute or of other textile bast fibre exported from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's cotton exports have increased by 14.02% in 2017-18 with US$ 124.85 million export value. Nearly 71% of the produced cotton is consumed in the domestic market itself. In the last fiscal year cotton sold in the local market totalled to US$ 88.20 million. In the international export market for Bangladesh cotton, India ranks on the top with an export value of US$ 21.38 million in 2017-18. The other top export markets for Bangladesh's cotton are Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Spain and China.

Man-made filament textile exports witnessed a growth of 18.60% to US$ 45.72 million. Under this category, sewing thread of man-made filaments has gained the maximum exports totalling US$ 37.33 million in 2017-18. Bangladesh's domestic market itself consumes most of the man-made staple produced in the country. In the last fiscal year, Bangladesh's MMF textiles sold in the local market totalled to US$ 41.63 million with share of 91% from total MMF exports. In the international market, Vietnam stands first with export value of US$ 1.49 million.

Man-made staple fibre (MMSF) textiles has also shown an average growth of 14.40% totalling to US$ 23.58 million in 2017-18 over the previous fiscal year. Nonwoven and special woven fabrics exports have witnessed a negative growth of -22% and -5.72% totalling to US$ 31.78 million and US$ 49.20 million respectively.

Country-wise T&C exports from Bangladesh

In the last fiscal year, Germany became the single largest textile and apparel market for Bangladesh, pushing USA to second position. Bangladesh exported US$ 5672.70 million worth of T&C goods to Germany and the country stakes 17% share from Bangladesh's total T&C export. Undoubtedly apparel goods were majorly exported to Germany and the value totalled to US$ 5579.51 million and perceived a growth of 8.66%. Scrutinizing further in detail, knitted apparel exports totalled to US$ 3216.58 million with a growth of 14.28% and woven apparel exports totalled to US$ 2362.94 million with a growth of 1.84% in 2017-18. In knitted apparels, T-shirt, singlets and other vest, whereas in woven apparels; men's suits, ensembles, jackets, blazers, trousers etc., were exported the most to Germany.

United States' T&C imports from Bangladesh totalled to US$ 5581.81 million with a growth of 2.66% in 2017-18 over the previous fiscal year. Knitted apparel exports totalled to US$ 1374.37 with growth of 5.55% and woven apparel exports totalled to US$ 3977.70 million with a growth of 1.94%. Other textile fibres have seen a growth of 36.29% totalling to US$ 19.48 million. The demand for carpets and other textile floor coverings has increased from United States, the exports of the same product totalled to US$ 3.49 million with growth of 25.95%. Cotton, nonwovens and special woven fabrics have witnessed a negative growth in 2017-18. The other countries standing in the top ten export market are United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Canada, Netherlands, Japan and Poland.

Bangladesh's T&C imports India

Bangladesh imports from India's T&C share one percent from India's total T&C exports. Bangladesh imports from India have witnessed a growth of 8.78% in 2017-18 (April to March) over the previous fiscal year. The demand for Indian cotton has increased in the last fiscal over the previous one. Bangladesh is the largest market for Indian cotton. In 2017-18 Bangladesh imported US$ 1816.21 million of cotton from India registering a growth of 13.86% whereas in 2016-17 the cotton imports registered a negative growth of -1.24% over the previous fiscal (2015-16). In the cotton product, cotton not carded or combed were imported the most from India, the imports totalled to US$ 737.39 with growth of 11.70% in 2017-18. Man-made staple fibre which is second most imported item in T&C segment, has witnessed a negative growth of -12.56% to US$ 224.58 million in 2017-18. Other than this commodity, apparel imports have also dropped drastically in the last fiscal year. Woven apparels dropped by -46.28% to US$ 35.57 million and knitted apparels by -55.13% to US$ 5.34 million. Special woven fabrics have registered a growth of 15.68% to US$ 7.45 million in the last fiscal. In 2016-17 the imports dropped by -2.57% totalling to US$ 6.44 million.

Man-made filament has also witnessed an upward trend registering a growth of 25.19% to US$ 130.01 million in 2017-18. This specific product has continuously been in demand and has witnessed an upward trend.

India's Apparel Imports from Bangladesh

India's apparel imports from Bangladesh have witnessed a growth of 43.64% to US$ 200.98 million in 2017-18 over the previous fiscal year. In the last four year, this has been extreme growth in imports of apparel from Bangladesh because no rules of origin are in place for duty-free imports from Bangladesh.

To further scrutinise the apparel imports in detail, woven apparel are ruling the basket with 76% to US$ 152.13 million in the last fiscal year. Men's suits, jackets, blazers and trousers were imported the most from Bangladesh to India. The imports of this specific commodity totalled to US$ 82.01 million and growth of 29.91% in the last fiscal. Another top knitted commodity imported to India is men's shirts valued at US$ 33.69 million with a growth of 55.11%.

Knitted apparel imports totalled US$ 48.85 million in 2017-18 with growth of 49.21%. Under this segment t-shirt, singlets and vests were majorly imported to India from Bangladesh. The commodity registered value of US$ 17.44 million with a growth of 36.25%. The other top commodity is jerseys and pullovers which registered a growth of 36.61% with value of US$ 10.41 million.

(Date Source: National Board of Revenue, Bangladesh and DGCI&S, Kolkata)