Bangladesh is setting up its first polyester staple fiber plant. This is expected to cater to 40 per cent of the country’s annual demand. The plant is an initiative to make the country self-sufficient in polyester staple fiber. This fiber is a key raw material for spinning mills.

The plant will come up on 30 acres of land and be a backward linkage for the garment sector. It will directly employ 2,000 and indirectly another 6,000 people. Once the factory is up and running it will produce 400 tons of polyester staple fiber a day. Raw materials for the plant will be imported from Arabia, India, Indonesia and China. Fabrics from polyester yarn are used extensively in apparel and home furnishings--- shirts, pants, jackets, hats, bed sheets, blankets, upholstery, furniture, and so on.

This move may inspire many other companies to set up polyester staple fiber factories in Bangladesh. Demand for the product is increasing by 12 to 15 per cent on a year-on-year basis. Polyester staple fiber is a fiber produced from synthetic chemical compounds and is strong enough to be twisted into yarn similar to natural fibers such as cotton or wool. It’s a substitute for raw cotton.