From July to February, Bangladesh’s exports were 4.8 per cent lower than in the same period in the last fiscal year. Apparel is the largest segment contributing over 80 per cent to total exports. The biggest supplier of raw materials, China, is at the heart of the outbreak. About 46 per cent of the raw materials for Bangladesh’s readymade garment industry are sourced from China.

Bangladesh’s apparel sector is being hit by coronavirus-related supply chain disorders, with prices for raw materials soaring. As materials from China fail to arrive on time, prices of local stocks of items have gone up by nearly 50 per cent in some cases. Some factory owners have been forced to bring raw materials in by air to meet manufacturing deadlines. And the sector is gearing up for a prolonged crisis as the virus continues to spread worldwide, with fears that destination markets in the US and Europe will be affected. Bangladesh imports some 60 per cent of its woven fabrics from China. Some 15 per cent to 20 per cent of raw materials and 80 per cent to 85 per cent of dyeing chemicals and accessories of the knitwear sector comes from China. And some 40 per cent of raw materials for garment accessories and the packaging manufacturing industry also comes from China every year.