Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi informed the Parliament recently that around 63 readymade garment manufacturing units operating under the aegis of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) closed down in 2019, leaving over 32,582 workers jobless, as per media reports.
He further added that of the 2,200 knitwear factories under the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), 1,280 factories did not renew their membership last year and are probably out of operation.
It may be mentioned here that as per earlier reports that cited President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Dr. Rubana Huq, around 60 factories (members of the association) had to stop operations (from January to October 2019) owing to financial crunch while as per another report, more than 100 factories, including 40 BGMEA members, have reportedly shut their operations in the first 7 months of 2019.
