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Garment exporters see brighter outlook as election nears
American buyers are tapping the shoulder of Bangladeshi apparel makers. While exchanging new year greetings, Canadian buyers are also asking them how things are going. Local manufacturers say they are receiving phone calls and emails from buyers in Europe as well.
Garment exporters see brighter outlook as election nears
By Refayet Ullah Mirdha
Garment workers make their way to work amid foggy weather. The picture was taken recently at Ulail Bus Stop on Dhaka-Aricha Highway in the Bank Town area of Savar. Photo: Palash Khan
American buyers are tapping the shoulder of Bangladeshi apparel makers. While exchanging new year greetings, Canadian buyers are also asking them how things are going. Local manufacturers say they are receiving phone calls and emails from buyers in Europe as well.
With less than a month to go before the national elections scheduled for February 12, local garment exporters say big business may be around the corner, as the polls are expected to calm frayed political nerves and improve overall law and order.
“Of course, the election is a major factor in restoring buyers’ confidence, as political stability is expected after the polls,” said Mostofa Q Sobhan Rubel, chairman of Dragon Group.
Rubel said his company is seeing a rise in inquiries, particularly from US and Canadian buyers for sweater items.
He said orders are increasingly shifting from China to Bangladesh after US reciprocal tariffs on Chinese goods climbed to nearly 50 percent.
Meanwhile, global conditions are also showing signs of improvement as inflation eases and supply chains gradually normalise. Rubel said he expects his exports to grow by about 30 percent this year, up from $20 million in 2025.
Exporters say prolonged political uncertainty, labour unrest in industrial zones months after the uprising and lingering aftershocks pushed many international buyers into a wait-and-see stance, delaying or trimming orders. With the election now in sight, those deferred orders are slowly resurfacing.
That tentative return of buyer interest comes after a subdued year for the local apparel sector.
In the recently concluded 2025, the country’s garment exports rose by just 0.88 percent to $38.82 billion, from $38.48 billion a year earlier, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The slight increase reflects the combined impact of domestic disruptions and weak global demand.
The improving outlook is also being shaped by easing global pressures.
Inflation in major economies has cooled, and supply chains are stabilising after years of disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, which had dampened apparel demand worldwide.
According to exporters, Bangladesh’s position in global sourcing has strengthened further due to tariff differences in the US market.
The reciprocal tariff on Bangladeshi garments currently stands at 20 percent, lower than rates imposed on some competitors, including India and China, where duties have climbed close to 50 percent.
Even so, shipments to the US, Bangladesh’s largest single country export destination, slowed during the peak months of September to November last year, when orders usually rise ahead of the Christmas season.
Exporters linked the slowdown to a front-loading of shipments earlier in the year.
Between January and April last year, before revised tariff rates took effect, the average duty on Bangladeshi garment exports to the US was around 16.5 percent.
Anticipating higher tariffs later, exporters rushed consignments during that period. Many US retailers then pared back imports in the second half of the year as inventories piled up.
Tariff uncertainty eased after negotiations with Washington. The reciprocal duty was scaled down to 20 percent, restoring a degree of predictability for buyers and suppliers.
Against this backdrop, apparel manufacturers are upbeat about the 2026 export outlook.
MA Jabbar, managing director of DBL Group, said the formation of an elected government would help rebuild confidence across the supply chain, from factory owners to global retailers and investors.
DBL exported $506 million worth of garments in 2025 and is targeting about 10 percent growth in 2026, after exports slipped from $520 million in 2024.
Industry leaders, however, also said that political stability alone will not guarantee a sustained rebound.
Humayun Rashid, chairman of Energypac Fashions Ltd, said persistent challenges in energy supply, port and logistics efficiency, banking sector health and international connectivity continue to weigh on competitiveness.
He added that concerns over Bangladesh’s global image also remain an issue for some buyers.
Addressing ease of doing business is critical if the sector is to turn this short-term recovery into long-term growth, Rashid said.
Faisal Samad, a director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said international retailers and brands are likely to scale up orders once political stability returns, but structural reforms will determine how durable that recovery proves to be.
By Refayet Ullah Mirdha
Garment workers make their way to work amid foggy weather. The picture was taken recently at Ulail Bus Stop on Dhaka-Aricha Highway in the Bank Town area of Savar. Photo: Palash Khan
American buyers are tapping the shoulder of Bangladeshi apparel makers. While exchanging new year greetings, Canadian buyers are also asking them how things are going. Local manufacturers say they are receiving phone calls and emails from buyers in Europe as well.
With less than a month to go before the national elections scheduled for February 12, local garment exporters say big business may be around the corner, as the polls are expected to calm frayed political nerves and improve overall law and order.
“Of course, the election is a major factor in restoring buyers’ confidence, as political stability is expected after the polls,” said Mostofa Q Sobhan Rubel, chairman of Dragon Group.
Rubel said his company is seeing a rise in inquiries, particularly from US and Canadian buyers for sweater items.
He said orders are increasingly shifting from China to Bangladesh after US reciprocal tariffs on Chinese goods climbed to nearly 50 percent.
Meanwhile, global conditions are also showing signs of improvement as inflation eases and supply chains gradually normalise. Rubel said he expects his exports to grow by about 30 percent this year, up from $20 million in 2025.
Exporters say prolonged political uncertainty, labour unrest in industrial zones months after the uprising and lingering aftershocks pushed many international buyers into a wait-and-see stance, delaying or trimming orders. With the election now in sight, those deferred orders are slowly resurfacing.
That tentative return of buyer interest comes after a subdued year for the local apparel sector.
In the recently concluded 2025, the country’s garment exports rose by just 0.88 percent to $38.82 billion, from $38.48 billion a year earlier, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The slight increase reflects the combined impact of domestic disruptions and weak global demand.
The improving outlook is also being shaped by easing global pressures.
Inflation in major economies has cooled, and supply chains are stabilising after years of disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, which had dampened apparel demand worldwide.
According to exporters, Bangladesh’s position in global sourcing has strengthened further due to tariff differences in the US market.
The reciprocal tariff on Bangladeshi garments currently stands at 20 percent, lower than rates imposed on some competitors, including India and China, where duties have climbed close to 50 percent.
Even so, shipments to the US, Bangladesh’s largest single country export destination, slowed during the peak months of September to November last year, when orders usually rise ahead of the Christmas season.
Exporters linked the slowdown to a front-loading of shipments earlier in the year.
Between January and April last year, before revised tariff rates took effect, the average duty on Bangladeshi garment exports to the US was around 16.5 percent.
Anticipating higher tariffs later, exporters rushed consignments during that period. Many US retailers then pared back imports in the second half of the year as inventories piled up.
Tariff uncertainty eased after negotiations with Washington. The reciprocal duty was scaled down to 20 percent, restoring a degree of predictability for buyers and suppliers.
Against this backdrop, apparel manufacturers are upbeat about the 2026 export outlook.
MA Jabbar, managing director of DBL Group, said the formation of an elected government would help rebuild confidence across the supply chain, from factory owners to global retailers and investors.
DBL exported $506 million worth of garments in 2025 and is targeting about 10 percent growth in 2026, after exports slipped from $520 million in 2024.
Industry leaders, however, also said that political stability alone will not guarantee a sustained rebound.
Humayun Rashid, chairman of Energypac Fashions Ltd, said persistent challenges in energy supply, port and logistics efficiency, banking sector health and international connectivity continue to weigh on competitiveness.
He added that concerns over Bangladesh’s global image also remain an issue for some buyers.
Addressing ease of doing business is critical if the sector is to turn this short-term recovery into long-term growth, Rashid said.
Faisal Samad, a director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said international retailers and brands are likely to scale up orders once political stability returns, but structural reforms will determine how durable that recovery proves to be.
