• Menu
  • Menu
  • News
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
Trending
UAE holidays 2021 Coronavirus Special Reports Find Jobs in the UAE Travel
  • Latest News
  • UAE
    • Crime
    • Education
      • Young Editors
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Health
      • Better Health
      • Why Worry
    • Transport
    • Science
    • Weather
    • Reader Complaint
    • Ask the Law
    • UAE's Hope Probe
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Ask Us
    • Safety+Security
  • Gulf
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Aviation
    • Property
    • Energy
    • Analysis
    • Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Company Releases
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
    • Mena
    • Europe
      • Brexit
    • Africa
    • Americas
      • US Presidential Elections 2020
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Oceania
    • Offbeat
    • Court and Crime
    • Coronavirus
    • Infographics
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Letters
    • Off the Cuff
    • Cartoons
    • From the Editors
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Horse Racing
      • Dubai World Cup
    • Cricket
      • IPL
        • Chennai
        • Delhi
        • Punjab
        • Kolkata
        • Mumbai
        • Rajasthan
        • Bangalore
        • Hyderabad
      • ICC
    • Football
    • Motorsport
    • Tennis
      • Dubai Duty Free Tennis 2020
    • Golf
    • Rugby
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • Pakistani Cinema
    • Pinoy Celebs
    • South Indian
    • Arab Celebs
    • Music
    • TV
    • Books
    • Theatre
    • Arts+Culture
  • Going Out
    • Movie Reviews
    • Society
  • Photos
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
  • Auto
    • News
    • Test Drives
    • Car Culture
    • Auto Care
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
      • Beating Breast Cancer
    • Family
    • Community
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • #Pinoy
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Weekend Review
  • GN Reach
  • Jobs
  • Tech
    • Electronics
      • Gitex Shopper
    • Gaming
    • Trends
    • Fin-Tech
    • Media
  • How To
    • Employment
      • Jobs
    • Passports & Visas
    • Your Money
    • Legal
  • Videos
    • How-To
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • #Pinoy
    • Community
    • Travel
    • Technology
  • GN Focus
  • Travel
    • Destinations
    • Hotels
  • Gold-Forex
  • Notifications
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • Cinema Listing
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Gulf News store
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
  • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
    High street to PPE: Bangladesh garment makers turn COVID-19 gloom into boom

    Photos

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Thursday, February 25, 2021
    Gold / Forex

    Photos News

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
    All Sections

    High street to PPE: Bangladesh garment makers turn COVID-19 gloom into boom

    Apparel orders from Western brands collapsed in the coronavirus pandemic


    Published:  June 28, 2020 16:34 AFP  and  Compiled by Christian Borbon, Digital Content Editor

    1 of 13
    Copy of 200136-01-02-1593347106462
    Facing ruin as orders from Western brands collapsed in the coronavirus pandemic, many Bangladeshi garment factories have been given a lifeline with orders to make protective masks, gloves and gowns for export. Image Credit: AFP
    2 of 13
    Copy of 200130-01-02-1593347101350
    Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands of workers who used to work in export-oriented apparel factories in the South Asian country remain jobless despite the new orders and some recovery in Western markets. | Labourers from Beximco Textiles Ltd manufacturer work on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) garments. Image Credit: AFP
    3 of 13
    Copy of 200135-01-02-1593347103899
    At factories in the industrial town of Savar just north of Dhaka, thousands of workers are now working eight-hour shifts, six days a week, making personal protective equipment (PPE). On the factory floor, sewing machines operated by hundreds of workers whirled loudly beside huge stacks of white and light-blue gowns. Image Credit: AFP
    4 of 13
    Copy of 200132-01-02-1593347108990
    "We saw the opportunity in February and immediately we switched to PPE manufacturing," said Syed Naved Husain, chief executive of Beximco, a major supplier to the owners of brands like Zara, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. Beximco last month exported 6.5 million medical gowns to US brand Hanes and it expects to export some $250 million worth of protective gear this year. Image Credit: AFP
    5 of 13
    Copy of 159586-01-02-1593347118715
    "Now some 60 percent of our 40,000 workers are engaged in PPE making," he told AFP. "Coronavirus has changed the world." Sumaiya Akter and Rubel Miah, who lost their jobs making apparel for Western retailers, were among the workers making final amendments to the robes. "I feel lucky for getting work in this factory while many others lost jobs and are now facing difficulties," 34-year-old mother Akhter told AFP. "At least I can feed my family and parents." Image Credit: AFP
    6 of 13
    Copy of 159590-01-02-1593347121315
    Bangladesh over the past two decades became the world's second-largest ready-made garment exporter after China, making clothes for the likes of Primark and H&M. Before the pandemic, it accounted for around 80 percent of the country's $40 billion annual exports and employed more than four million people, many of them women from poor rural villages. Image Credit: AFP
    7 of 13
    Copy of 200133-01-02-1593347111113
    But when the world started to go into lockdown, the country's 4,500 manufacturers saw shipments plunge by a staggering 84 percent in April. About $3.2 million of orders were either cancelled or withheld, according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Image Credit: AFP
    8 of 13
    Copy of 159592-01-02-1593347093834
    Most factories - shut down from the loss of contracts and the country's own virus lockdown - sacked or furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers, sparking numerous protests. There has been some recovery in orders, but Khan Monirul Alam Shuvo, spokesman of the BGMEA, told AFP: "The amount is much lower compared with what we got last year. In June our factories operated at 55 percent capacity." Image Credit: AFP
    9 of 13
    Copy of 200134-01-02-1593347113643
    The resumption of work in Bangladesh - which is reeling from its own COVID-19 outbreak - means extra safety measures like social distancing and face masks. One factory owner admitted to AFP, however, that "distancing is almost impossible in the factories because of the nature of the job". Image Credit: AFP
    10 of 13
    Copy of 159585-01-02-1593347116094
    Now, the BGMEA said, many manufacturers were becoming hopeful again as they pivot towards medical wear. At least 30 factories have started manufacturing PPE since the start of the pandemic and the "number is growing", Shuvo said. Image Credit: AFP
    11 of 13
    Copy of 159593-01-02-1593347096528
    Other companies who had already made protective clothing on a limited scale quickly scaled up their plants to meet the demand when Western clients came knocking. "Just three days ago, we got an export order to make 20 million surgical gowns. All our factories are now booked for the entire year," said Fakir Apparels director Mashiur Rahman Shommo. Image Credit: AFP
    12 of 13
    Copy of 159594-01-02-1593347099063
    Fakir has turned five of its factories into PPE plants and hired another 400 workers, and now expects to export $200 million worth this year. "We have world-class manufacturing facilities," Husain said. "Bangladesh was well-positioned to become a new hub for PPE manufacturing." Image Credit: AFP
    13 of 13
    Copy of 159591-01-02-1593347091305
    Ahsan H. Mansur, a former International Monetary Fund executive now at the Dhaka-based Policy Research Institute (PRI), said with the industry running at 50-percent capacity, the move to PPE production will "bring some relief". "This huge idle capacity can be converted with minimal cost and training," Mansur told AFP. "The outlook for this kind of demand is going to stay strong." Image Credit: AFP

    Trending

    • Look: Niagara Falls turns into a winter wonderland

      Look: Niagara Falls turns into a winter wonderland

    Latest In

    • India, Pakistan agree to stop cross border firing

      3 minutes ago

    • Scottish independence marred by big feud at the top

      8 minutes ago

    • Abu Dhabi tests 10,000 imported PCR samples daily

      17 minutes ago

    • Amid COVID-19 pandemic, flu has disappeared in the US

      28 minutes ago

    • Watch: Lisa Haydon sweats it out during baby shower

      41 minutes ago

    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • Baby & Child
    • Friday
    • Inside Out
    • Watch Time
    • Wheels
    • getthat
    • GN Tech
    • Jobs
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Gulf News store
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks
    Continue reading Gulf News
    Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com

    Dear Reader,

    This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.

    Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com

    Create your account
    or login if you already have one
    First name is required.
    Last name is required.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number
    Passwords do not match

    By clicking below to sign up, you're agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

    Login your account
    New to Gulf News? Sign up now
    Please enter your email address.
    Please enter your password.

    Forgot password

    or