Bangladesh has emerged the second largest apparel exporting country after China and has an annual export turnover of around $30 billion. Accordingly, Bangladesh requires huge quantities of textiles, particularly fabrics, to cater to the requirements of its apparel industry. However, since the country doesn’t have a good back-up for producing the necessary raw materials like fabrics needed for making garments on its own, it is largely dependent on sourcing the fabric materials from different centers in the world including India.

The leading markets from which Bangladesh sources its requirement of fabrics include China, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, South Korea, Indonesia. Bangladesh was the fourth largest market for Indian manmade fibers during 2014-15. It imported around $4 billion worth of manmade fibers during 2014 of which India’s share was around ten per cent. Bangladesh sourced around $2 billion worth manmade fiber based fabrics during 2014 of which India’s share was 11 per cent.

Indeed, there is a great opportunity for Indian manufacturers and exporters of fabrics in Bangladesh market. The main items of export from India include polyester filament fabrics, nylon filament fabrics, saris, furnishing articles, laces, mufflers etc. Bangladesh hopes to double its apparel export earnings by 2020.