Bangladesh wants a bigger share of the global garment accessories market. There are more than 1,400 accessories factories in the country that make products for the global market and meet 95 per cent of the local demand for garment accessories.

As a backward linkage industry the garment accessories and packaging industry generated employment for four lakh people and fetched export earnings of 5.6 billion dollars in the financial year 2014-15. In the mid of ’80s, the country’s entrepreneurs started to manufacture accessories and packaging materials. Now there are at least 30 varieties of accessories and packaging products produced.

The industry supports the readymade garment, pharmaceutical, ceramic and frozen food sectors to reduce their lead time of exports. The country hopes to increase export earnings from garment accessories threefold within the next six years. The country expects accessories exports worth $12 billion by 2018.

The total investment in the accessories and packaging sector is $30 billion and the value addition of the sector is more than 30 per cent each year. However, growth of new investment has decreased in recent times due to the uncertainty of power and gas supply.