Bangladesh has potential to become the world’s most attractive garment sourcing hub if the industry can deliver in faster lead times, produce more value-added products and ensure seamless collaboration across the supply chain.
This was stated by Javier Carlos Santonja Olcina, Regional Head for Bangladesh and Pakistan at Inditex at the inauguration of the 20th Bangladesh Denim Expo in Dhaka.
“I think it is the right time and in the right place and Bangladesh should not be afraid of what the other countries are doing. We deal with India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Vietnam,” Olcina added.
“Bangladesh has enough capabilities to overtake all of them. This is my personal opinion. My company is trying to communicate this to our supply chain in Bangladesh,” he informed.
He identified three priorities that could help Bangladesh become the world’s most attractive sourcing destination, which included a world-class logistics infrastructure.
According to him, Bangladesh still does not have a deep-sea port, a modern airport, reliable energy supplies and faster customs clearance, all of which are critical for improving delivery performance.
“He said that both exporters and importers in the garment sector continue to suffer because of weaknesses in the logistics system,” the Daily Star reported.
Secondly, Bangladesh must move further into higher value-added garment products, which will require coordinated efforts from manufacturers and other industry stakeholders.
Thirdly, closer collaboration is needed among the government, global brands, multilateral organisations, manufacturers, logistics providers and industry associations to drive the sector forward.
He said the global business environment is complicated, with countries continuing to deal with the fallout from Covid-19, geopolitical tensions and broader economic uncertainty.
“Despite these challenges, Bangladesh remains better positioned than many of its competitors,” Olcina said.
Image courtesy: Context
