Bangladesh's textile industry feels regime change heat

The textile industry in Bangladesh - the country's biggest foreign exchange earner - is staring at its worst crisis in recent years exacerbated by abysmal support from the interim regime in Dhaka.

Ananta Jalil, a prominent Bangladeshi entrepreneur dealing in readymade garments, alleged earlier this week that the Bangladeshi economy might collapse soon, as chief adviser Md Yunus is forcefully shutting down the garment sector.

Addressing a public forum, Jalil claimed that millions of workers have been rendered jobless and that Bangladesh's garment-related businesses are losing their market worldwide.


Jalil claimed that Yunus is eliminating all incentives for the garment industry, particularly during the Ramadan period and ahead of Eid. This was one of the rarest outbursts from a leading Bangladeshi businessman since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last August.

Bangladesh's garment industry contributes as much as 84% of its foreign exchange earnings annually. The industry is also a major employer - more than 4 million people directly and nearly 15 million indirectly - with a major share of women.