Better brands for Bangladesh

Bangladesh has made great progress in the past few years and our businesses have boomed, boosting our economy.But, despite being the second largest exporter of RMG, how many people truly know of Bangladesh’s contribution to the industry?

And this problem is not for the ready-made garments industry alone.

While Bangladeshis have great potential in fields such as leather and pharmaceuticals, it remains the case that none of our companies has been able to breach the international market as a globally recognised brand.

Even when certain companies do create a presence abroad, they remain importers, not “multi-national” companies.

And the products we do import bear the names of international companies, thereby reducing our share of overall revenue.

We have the talent, we have the potential, we have the experience -- so why do we remain such a small fish in the big global pond?

The fact remains that there isn’t enough government support: Locals are not allowed to invest abroad.

One of the biggest obstacles remains Bangladesh Bank’s retrograde attitudes towards finance. It has continued to throttle the Bangladeshi economy for a while now and it is high time that people were given the freedom to expand, and take over more space in the global arena.

Is it not unacceptable that, despite being such a huge exporter of apparels, we have no internationally recognisable brand of our own?

There is so much potential for Bangladesh to truly make a mark internationally and expanding our economic footprint is the best way to do this.

It not only benefits the country, but its people.