As a number of European countries have imposed new restrictions to contain the spread of the new coronavirus variant Omicron, Bangladesh apparel exporters fear a decline in exports if the situation worsens. Some, however, hoped that global brands this time may not suspend orders and allow store shelves to be empty during the festival shopping season.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the new strain a ‘variant of concern’.
“Germany, one of the major buying countries, has been facing 50,000-60,000 infections daily, while the Netherlands has already imposed lockdown,” Shahidullah Azim, vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said.
As a number of European countries have imposed new restrictions to contain the spread of the new coronavirus variant Omicron, Bangladesh apparel exporters fear a decline in exports if the situation worsens. Some, however, hoped that global brands this time may not suspend orders and allow store shelves to be empty during the festival shopping season.
“We are mainly concerned about the possibility that the buyers may put their orders on hold,” he was quoted as saying by a domestic media outlet.
During the first wave of the pandemic, the global fashion brands and buyers cancelled and suspended apparel orders worth more than $3.15 billion, affecting 1,136 factories, according to the BGMEA.
“During the last few months, brands and buyers have been putting pressure on us to ship goods quickly, but now they are asking us to slow down our production,” he added.
Bangladesh Apparel Exchange founder and chief executive officer Mostafiz Uddin said: “We have to wait till 15 December to observe how the market situation turns. If the brands cannot sell products or their business is affected, it will have an impact on our business.”
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
