Knitwear is making a significant contribution to Bangladesh’s export earnings.

In fact it was the top foreign currency earner tothe country’s readymade garment exports in fiscal ’22. Knitwear made a 44 per cent contribution. Among the reasons are the strong backward linkage industry, its capacity to make quick delivery of products and policy support. On the other hand, the share of woven products in Bangladesh’s export earnings is 37 per cent. It was 41 per cent a decade back.

Policy supports like cash incentives and utility have helped the entrepreneurs invest in the knitwear sub-sector including the backward linkage yarn, fabric and dyeing segments.Besides, changing patterns in fashion and buyers' preferences for quick delivery of products due to the long lead time caused by Covid-induced lengthy transportation also pushed buyers to source knit products from Bangladesh.

Composite units having their own knitting, dyeing, sewing and finishing facilities are the other strengths of the country's knitwear sector. T-shirts, jerseys, pullovers, men’s, women’s and boys’ trousers, men’s or boys’ shirts are the major knit products mainly shipped to the European Union.

There are more than 400 composite knitwear units across Bangladesh. Entrepreneurs re-invest their profits and that also helped flourish the sub-sector and become self-sufficient.