Business

Soccer World Cup Comes As Big Boon For Bangladesh Garment Makers

Soccer World Cup 2014 in Brazil has come as a big boon for Bangladesh's readymade apparel makers as they bagged about US$ 1 billion in export orders to sew clothing for fans of the participating teams.

Bangladesh garment makers say they have made millions of pieces of soccer jerseys, T-shirts, flags and hats for fans of all the World Cup's 32 teams and already sent their products to all across the world. "We've received orders to make the World Cup related merchandise worth of nearly US$ 1 billion," Mohammad Hatem, acting chief of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), informed.

Bangladesh's export income in the first 10 months of the current 2013-14 fiscal year (July 2013-June 2014) surged nearly 13% to US$ 22.24 billion with readymade garments as the key performer. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, knitwear garment exports grew 16.40% to US$ 8.83 billion while woven garments increased 13.99% to US$ 9.22 billion, comparing with the same period of last fiscal.

Industry insiders say the overall readymade garment export growth has been largely driven by demands for World Cup related merchandise despite the country facing problems in key global markets. According to BKMEA officials, the industry has so far supplied some 500 million pieces of jerseys to buyers across the world.