Bangladesh’s garment export to India will continue to grow, saysFaruque Hassan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

Bangladesh garment shipments increased by 58.07 per cent to $365.95 million in the July-December period of the current fiscal year from the $231.53 million recorded in the same period a year ago, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau.

Of the total, knitwear exports surged by 66.46 per cent to $161.69 million in value. The shipments of woven garment surged 52 per cent to $204.26 million at the same time.

Exporters say the demand for Bangladeshi garment items is rising in India because of the expanding middle-income groups in the world's second-most population nation. Many prefer garment items produced in Bangladesh as they cannot afford expensive Indian high-end garment items.

MdShahidullahAzim, Managing Director, Rupa Knitwear, says a lot of Indian businessmen are placing a good number of orders in Bangladesh to re-export to other countries.

Sharif Zahir, Managing Director, Ananta Group, adds, his group sells $10 million worth of garment items, mainly denim, ladies underwear, woven shirts and knitwear items in India every year