Bangladesh Explores Alternative Markets for Garment Exports, BBC Report Reveals

The ready-made garment industry stands as Bangladesh's largest export sector, significantly contributing to employment opportunities and foreign exchange earnings annually. A recent report by the British media outlet "BBC Bangla" has shed light on Bangladesh's efforts to diversify its garment export destinations, moving beyond its historical reliance on the American market.

According to the report, a decade ago, exports to countries outside the United States accounted for a mere 14.79 percent of the total income from garment exports. However, by 2023, this figure had risen to 18.72 percent. While exports to the American market have slightly decreased, there has been a positive response from various non-traditional markets for Bangladesh.

These emerging markets include prominent countries such as Japan, China, Russia, Brazil, Australia, and India. Japan, in particular, has emerged as a significant contributor, witnessing a notable increase in revenue from garment exports, surpassing the billion-dollar mark in 2023.

Garment industry stakeholders express optimism regarding the potential for further expansion in alternative markets to the United States. However, Khandkar Golam Moazzem, the research director of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), urges caution and strategic planning.

Moazzem emphasizes the importance of diversifying product offerings to cater to the varying preferences and cultures of consumers worldwide. He underscores the need for garment manufacturers to prioritize the production of a wide range of products, enabling buyers to source multiple items from a single factory. Only through such efforts, Moazzem contends, can Bangladesh successfully capitalize on the opportunities presented by alternative markets.