Medium term response a must  apparel sector recovery

Speakers in a webinar said recovery of recovery of the apparel sector in the medium term in major supplying countries is rather slow while existing national level measures have limited role to ensure smooth recovery.
Addressing medium-term challenges requires innovative strategies and tools to tackle a prolonged period of demand slump. Hence, a collaborative approach between the government, brands and suppliers will be the key to ensure better recovery of the apparel sector.
These observations came at a virtual dialogue on 'Recovery of the Apparels Sectors from COVID-19 Crisis: Is a Value Chain based Solution Possible?' organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) in partnership with Southern Voice held on Saturday.
CPD's Executive Director, Dr Fahmida Khatun said these findings are part of a joint study being undertaken by the CPD and Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS) in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - two major apparel sourcing countries.
She said the study explored a value-chain based solution for the suppliers of Bangladesh. Research Director of CPD Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem said the study found lack of initiatives of major market players to address the medium-term challenges.Commerce minister Tipu Munshi said that the government is trying to revive the trade through stimulus packages. He suggested that Bangladesh should look for new markets through product diversification. He called for a collective effort from the brands, buyers, manufacturers and the government.
Netherlands Ambassador Harry Verweij agreed with the findings of the study presented and expressed interest in working collaboratively with CPD further in the future. He said his government had advised its brands to not cancel orders even during the second wave of the pandemic.
The government is taking various social safety programmes like the workers' welfare fund, Labour and Employment Secretary K.M. Abdus Salam said, adding that funds for such programmes are available, but a complete list of labours needs to be provided before distribution.
Suggestion of regional response for assisting the supplier and the supply chain came from Professor Sobhan, Chairman, CPD. He proposed a micro-insurance to ensure the security of the labours.
Rubana Huq, President, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said the apparel sector could take an inward-looking approach. Bangladesh can focus on local demand, as there is a lack of global demand.