Despite Bangladesh's global reputation as one of the leading manufacturers of readymade garments, it is nothing short of disappointing to realize just how reliant we are on other nations in importing one of the most essential fabrics in the industry: Cotton.
Bangladeshi textile and spinning mills import cotton from India, the United States, several African and Central Asian nations, Australia, Brazil, and Pakistan -- given that Bangladesh has, according to United States Department of Agriculture 433 spinning mills, 796 textile weaving mills, 246 dyeing and finishing mills, and about 6,502 registered and 527 unregistered garment and textile factories, it is clear that our continued reliance on cotton imports would hurt us in the long run.
To that end, the recent announcement made by the Cotton Development Board in that it aims to increase the production of cotton by five times within the end of this decade sounds like a necessary ambition.
Ambitious since Bangladesh, as it stands, produces less than 0.2 million cotton bales a year against the annual demand for 8.5 million bales, according to official statistics. However, it is still a necessary goal given just how much of our local industries rely on it.
Of course, given that Bangladesh has been emphasizing on newer variants of cotton -- such as the CDB Tula-1 which is high-yield, disease-resistant, and drought-resistant -- indicates that the goal might be within reach after all.
There is no real reason for Bangladesh to continue relying on cotton imports any longer. As one of the largest RMG manufacturers in the world, we need to be as self-reliant as possible.
