Marks and Spencer (M&S) is set to enhance sourcing of apparel from Bangladesh. The brand which has doubled its sourcing from Bangladesh in the last two years is planning to raise it imports further to $1.0 billion as against the existing $800 million.

M&S Chief Executive Officer, Steve Rowe speaking says, “Bangladesh continues to progress and its facilities, skills and the development we discussed today in terms of infrastructure, there are further opportunities to grow our business here." He held a meeting with leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). The M&S delegation also included its Chairman Archie Norman, Managing Director Jill Mcdonald, Director of Sourcing Mark Lindsey and Country Manager Shwapna Bhowmick. President of the BGMEA Md Siddiqur Rahman, Vice President Mohammed Nasir, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry President Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, among others, were also present at the meeting.

Rowe said infrastructure was the challenge that needed to be addressed in Bangladesh. The BGMEA President said they have explained the government's recent measures taken to address all issues and was confident in the next couple of years the existing situation would improve. M&S country manager said currently, the company is sourcing from around 79 factories and aim to raise their import to $1.0 billion of value-added apparel items.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) is mulling the prospect of providing more incentives for The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that comply with the requirements of GST regime, including access to loans at discounted rates, in an attempt to reward early adopters and encourage others to ensure compliance. MSMEs have been at the forefront of the protests against GST. Many of these enterprises operated in the informal economy and several sneaked away by paying a minor part of the taxes that they should actually have paid however the new tax regime has hit them hard. MSMEs that supplied to large companies were told to comply with the new GST regime. If they didn’t, the larger companies couldn’t claim input tax credit. The proposed incentives are meant to complement the drive to integrate the cash-driven unorganised sector with the formal sector. This has been a major policy focus of the new government.

Difficulty in accessing credit is a big hurdle MSMEs face in doing business, especially as many of them do not have immovable assets to offer as collateral, however, the GST Council, the federal indirect tax body led by finance minister Arun Jaitley has been rationalising tax rates and compliance requirements for MSMEs considering the employment potential of the sector. Only about 5 per cent of the MSME sector, which accounts for a total sale of Rs 40 trillion a year, has access to formal finance from banks, said Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

The initial revenue shock following the roll out of GST has eased in October with states steadily improving collections aided by relaxations in deadline, waiver of late payment fee and steps to encourage compliance.

India is likely to export nearly one-fifth less cotton than previous forecast as pink bollworms are eating into the country’s crop which was expected to hit a record, industry officials disclosed. Lower exports from the world’s biggest producer will help its rivals like the US, Brazil and Australia to raise their exports to Asian buyers such as Pakistan, China and Bangladesh.

Exporters say this year’s exportable surplus was expected to be around 6 million bales. Production estimates have been revised downwards following the pest attack. Earlier, official forecast was exports of 7.5 million bales of 150 kg each. A 19 per cent hike in the area planted for cotton was good reason for industry officials to estimate record production of 40 million bales in the 2017-2018 season starting on October 1, however, cotton farmers saw as harvesting started fields were infested with pink bollworms which consume the cotton fibre and seeds inside the boll of the plant. This issue was extensively seen in Maharashtra, the country’s biggest cotton producer.

Bollworm infestation occurred even as Indian farmers adopted genetically-modified seeds such as Bt cotton that are resistant to the pest. The government approved the seed in 2006. The technology transformed India into the world’s second-largest exporter of the fibre, however, pink bollworms are now developing resistance to technology, noted V N Waghmare, Director of Central Institute for Cotton Research.

Two years post the devastating fire in the Tazreen Fashions factory in Bangladesh, an agreement was reached with C&A to establish a fund, with contributions from brands sourcing from the factory, which would provide for loss of income payments and long-term medical treatment. The payments were concluded in June 2016 and a medical trust is still overseeing long-term medical treatment for the injured. In many cases of small factory incidents affected families are not compensated at all.

The compensation arrangements set up post the Tazreen fire and the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse, based on ILO Convention 121, laid the groundwork for a more structural and permanent solution in the form of a National Employment Injury Insurance Scheme. Such a scheme however is still in progress of being developed, Clean Clothes Campaign is therefore advocating a bridging solution to be established as soon as possible to cover those affected by factory incidents till such an Employment Injury Insurance scheme is operational.

Delwar Hossain, the owner of Tazreen Fashions, still has not been held accountable for the negligence which directly contributed to the deaths of these workers.