Bangladesh has a huge opportunity to grab a large share of global jeans market with many good factories and buying houses. After China, Bangladesh is the largest manufacturer of apparel products, which reputed international brands source from. At present, denim manufacturers in Bangladesh use fabrics of different kinds: regular, knit, jacquard, printed, colored and coated. Over 60 per cent of their denim fabric requirements are met by imports from China.

Bangladesh finds itself unable to manufacture denim fabrics to meet local demand. Reason: lack of technical expertise and infrastructural facilities, insufficient utility services and insufficient funds. At present, there are 25 factories in Bangladesh producing denim fabrics. The country produces 360 million yards of denim fabric a year but its manufacturers have a demand for 720 million yards a year.

But since Chinese apparel manufacturers are shifting from lower-end to higher-end, and changing their business patterns, Bangladesh can move in to fill the gap. It’s reckoned that by 2030 around 70 per cent of the global demand for jeans would be met by Asian producers. Bangladesh’s denim apparel exports are expected to reach $7billion by 2021.