Apparel suppliers in Bangladesh are expecting a moderate recovery in exports in the upcoming year.

This optimism is based on the fact that sales in the western world are gradually gaining pace with a new normal arising from the Russia-Ukraine war and the falling prices of petroleum products.This in turn is causing inflationary pressure in the western world to subside gradually, effectively leaving more money in the pockets of the consumers, enabling them to start spending on the purchase of clothing items.Christmas sales were also upbeat, with old stockpiles of clothing of international retailers and brands worth billions of US dollars being sold off.

This has prompted international clothing retailers and brands to start coming up with new work orders for factories and make inquiries for future purchases.However, Bangladesh’s exporters don’t expect a strong recovery in apparel shipments. The real recovery is expected to start from only March onwards. Uncertainty still prevails over when the war will come to an end and many issues have not been resolved yet, which may have an impact on global trade. Work orders for the next season between January and April are still some 15 per cent to 20 per cent less than what they had been in the preceding season between September and December.