Despite being in the business of garment manufacturing for over 40 years, Bangladesh still manufactures low-value garment items. According to BGMEA, around 80 per cent of country’s garment exports fall within the price range of $15 per kilogram, and only 20 per cent items get a price more than $15 and a tiny fraction gets $35.

BGMEA attributes this to the country’s lack of innovative capabilities in areas of designing and product development and expertise, skills and technologies, and limited diversification in the area of non-cotton area.

Ahsan H Mansur, Executive Director, Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh, to produce high-end garment items, Bangladesh needs manmade fibers, which are not produced by the country. The country is strong in making apparels from cotton fiber as nearly 80 per cent of Bangladesh’s garment items are manufactured from cotton.