Bangladesh’s exports from personal protective equipment (PPE), mostly face masks, hit a record high amid coronavirus pandemic as global retailers continue to place orders to get the best quality products with lower price.
The country raked in $26.9 million in export from PPE during March-July of the current fiscal– a 886 percent rise from the same time in previous year.
In March-July of 2019-20 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported PPE worth $2.7 million while the total figure stood at $5.53 in 2018-19 fiscal before it jumped to $23.18 million in 2019-20 fiscal year.
Analysts said the export of PPEopened a new avenue for Bangladesh’s apparel manufacturers who were reeling from order cancellations and downswings of exports in the offset ofthe Covid-19 pandemic.
PPE have been a highlight of ‘Made in Bangladesh’ during the pandemic, they added.
Textile and garment enterprises also adapted the machinery and raw materials quickly to manufacture PPE including medical masks and anti-bacterial fabric masks to fill the gaps when processing orders were delayed.
Since the pandemic broke out, industry insiders and policymakers have been saying that Bangladesh is well-positioned to become a new hub for medical wear manufacturing as it has its feet firmly planted in pharmaceuticals exports before the pandemic.
As demand for PPE surged amidst the pandemic creating a huge opportunity, entrepreneurs said, more investments are coming in this sector.
Moshiul Azam, vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), many people involving in the sector talked about the PPE and masks at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak.
Several companies have even taken certificates to produce different grades of PPE, he said
“However, we received less orders on PPF but a huge number of masks is being exported,” Azam said.
Meanwhile, data from Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) shows total export earnings stood at $6.87 billion in the first two months of 2020-21 fiscal year – a 2.17 percent rise comparing to the same period of last fiscal.
The July-August earnings also surpassed the target set for the period by 1.0 percent, according to the EPB.