RMG shipments from Bangladesh to Russia and the payments from the buyers are declining every day as the country continues its war against Ukraine. As per a Daily Star report, garment suppliers in Bangladesh are not receiving payments as Russian Banks have been banned from using SWIFT, the global payments messaging network. The US recently also announced sanctions on four large Russian

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has opened a desk to help all types of apparel exporters inform it about orders received, executed and payments unpaid. Also, many shipping lines are not accepting goods for Russian buyers due to sanctions. These goods continue to lie idle in the Chattogram port.

The port currently has garment items amounting to $3 lakh as no shipping company is willing to transport them to the destination. Another 11 lakh of garment pieces are waiting to be manufactured as per orders. But there is uncertainty as the buyer is asking the supplier to delay shipments.

Local suppliers are also suffering due to the refusal of the international courier service companies’ to take documents to Russia. In the July-January period of the current fiscal year, suppliers sent garment items worth $415.47 million to Russia, registering a 36.47 per cent year-on-year growth, data from the Export Promotion Bureau shows.