Muhammad Ayub, President, Bangladesh Cotton Association says, stakeholders in the Bangladesh’s garment industry and the concerned ministries need to take various steps to clear current container backlog and ship congestion. They need to consider roads and railways as means of import alongside the shipping routes. Stakeholders also need to make efforts to ensure supply of cotton through diplomatic contacts and trade cooperation agreements with various cotton producing countries, says Ayub. They need to focus on global cotton production, use, etc by forming a high-powered committee of Bangladesh Cotton Association, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the ministries of textiles, commerce, agriculture and foreign affairs, he adds.

Currently, Bangladesh imports cotton from different West African countries besides Australia, Brazil and the United States. According to the data provided by the International Cotton Advisory Committee, global cotton production increased 9 per cent in 2020-21, while its consumption increased by 20 per cent. Moreover, freight rate increased 3-4 times when international trade reopened after almost coming to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All these factors contributed to the increase in cotton price in the international market.