RMG export to Denmark remains unaffected by pandemic

When Bangladesh’s garment exports witnessed a sharp decline in all countries, be it European, American or Japan, surprisingly it remained unaffected in Denmark in 2020, the pandemic year.

Bangladesh exported garments worth $692 million to Denmark in 2020, slightly down from $695 million in 2019, according to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

In terms of percentage, export to Denmark saw only 0.51 percent de-growth, the data shows.

But Bangladesh’s garment export to other countries saw a huge fall during the pandemic that ravaged most businesses. For example, export went down by 11.62 percent in Germany, which is the largest market for Bangladesh’s apparel. Exports to the UK, Spain, and France, three other big markets, declined around 20 percent in 2020.

Even exports to the USA got down by nearly 16 percent and Canada by over 22 percent.

The declining trend was also evident in non-traditional markets including Brazil, Chile, China, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Turkey where apparel export dropped on an average 18.08 percent last year.

Rubana Huq, former BGMEA president, told Business Insider Bangladesh, “There is no special privilege offered for exporting apparel products to Denmark. It is good to see a positive export figure in the EU, even if it’s only one country.”

“Since lockdown restrictions are being lifted gradually in the EU, we expect to see steady recovery,” she said.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Bangladesh has made a lot of improvements in working conditions since 2013 when the Rana Plaza collapse left more than 11, 00 workers dead.