Bangladesh’s exports of apparel accessories increased 10 to 15 per cent in the last financial year. Among these are woven labels, leather badges, stone and metal motifs, rubber patches, gum tapes, satin and cotton ribbon hangers, price tags, buttons and zippers.

The country exports accessories to countries like Sri Lanka, South Africa, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. These are used in the readymade garment, leather, pharmaceutical and other sectors. In the readymade garment sector, accessory makers and packagers supply 34 types of products.

With proper policy support and financial incentives, both indirect and direct, Bangladesh hopes to increase export earnings in the sector by up to three times over the next couple of years. China used to be the biggest source of accessory items, but it has shut down many of its accessory factories on account of environmental issues and is shifting to high-tech industries. This is the opportunity Bangladesh hopes to make use of. Accessory makers have boosted their capacities and can almost fully meet the demands of garment exporters. They anticipate growth in business as local and international buyers have evinced increased interest in the sector this year with the recovery of the global economy. The Asian garment accessories market is 24 billion dollars.