Blue denim shipment to USA rises 51% in 4 months

Bangladesh, the largest blue denim exporter to the US market, has grown its shipment by 51 percent in four months of 2022, year on year.

According to the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), Bangladesh fetched $248 million in January-April 2022, which was $164 million at the same period of last year.

OTEXA data released on June 7 shows Bangladesh grabbed 21.82 percent of the denim market in the USA.

“Blue denim is one of the most popular products of Bangladesh. Demand for it is increasing gradually worldwide and that is why its export is also increasing,” Shahidullah Azim, vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said.

“Another reason for high growth is the USA’s cold trade relations with China, at this point. But we are afraid of the work order flowing from the EU and some other countries due to the Russia-Ukraine war,” he told the Business Insider Bangladesh.

Shofiqur Rahman, head of marketing of Zaber and Zubair Fabrics Limited, a sister concern of the Noman group, said, “USA buys a major share of its fabrics from China, but recently a cold relationship has been developed between two mighty countries. And, for this reason the US is going to some alternative sources, like Bangladesh, which is subsequently hiking Bangladesh’s exports to that country.”

In 2020, denim exports to the USA had aggregated $561.29 million and in 2021 it went up to $798 million, respectively. The exporters estimated that the shipment of blue denim will reach $1 billion this year.

Shofiqur Rahman said, “We hope blue denim exports will be over $1 billion, this year.”

During the eleven months or July-May period of the current fiscal year, Bangladesh fetched $38.52 billion from the international market exporting trousers, denim, T-shirt, sweaters, blouses, underwear etc.

Within a shorter span of period, Bangladesh has emerged as a powerful manufacturer of Denim, taking the lead in the United States and European markets.