The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the ready-made garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh, which is one of the country's largest and most important sectors, accounting for around 80% of the country's exports and providing employment to over 4 million workers. The impact of COVID-19 on the RMG industry of Bangladesh can be seen in the following ways: Orders Cancellations: Many retailers and brands in the US and Europe canceled their orders or postponed them, leading to a severe drop in demand for Bangladeshi-made garments. Supply Chain Disruptions: The pandemic has disrupted global supply chains, causing delays in the delivery of raw materials and finished products. This has caused significant challenges in meeting production deadlines and increased the cost of production. Factory Closures: To contain the spread of the virus, many factories in Bangladesh had to temporarily shut down, causing significant financial losses for factory owners and job losses for workers. Health and Safety Concerns: The pandemic has also raised concerns about the health and safety of workers in factories, leading to the need for additional safety measures and increased costs for factory owners. Overall, the pandemic has had a severe impact on the RMG industry in Bangladesh, with many factories struggling to survive, and workers facing significant job losses and income reductions. The industry is gradually recovering from the initial shock, but it may take time to fully regain its pre-pandemic level of activity.

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Introduction
Bangladesh's development is accelerated by the readymade clothes sector. The "Made in
Bangladesh" label has also brought the country honour, establishing it as a respected brand around
the world. Once dubbed a "bottomless basket" by cynics, Bangladesh has now evolved into a
"basket full of wonders." Despite its meagre resources, the country has maintained a 6% annual
average GDP growth rate and achieved exceptional social and human development. (BGMEA,
2021). Bangladesh's development is accelerated by the readymade clothes sector. The "Made in
Bangladesh" label has also brought the country honour, establishing it as a respected brand around
the world. Once dubbed a "bottomless basket" by cynics, Bangladesh has now evolved into a
"basket full of wonders." Despite its meagre resources, the country has maintained a 6% annual
average GDP growth rate and achieved exceptional social and human development. (fibre2fashion,
2021). COVID-19 has already had an impact on the health and well-being of RMG workers (both
physical and mental), as well as job loss. We genuinely think that the COVID-19 pandemic will
have long-term consequences for garment workers, including health, financial difficulty, and
inability to pay for basic requirements such as food, as well as future job opportunities. During the
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, stakeholders responsible for RMG factories in the global supply
chain (such as international retailers/brands, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and
Exporters Association, and the Government of Bangladesh) should reconsider the health and
overall wellbeing needs of RMG workers. Not being able to afford the BDT 25 000 ($295) medical
bill, parents working in a textile mill in Gazipur (near Dhaka) had to sell their newborn child. The
father of the newborn infant indicated that they could not pay hospital expenses because the
garment factory where both husband and wife worked was closed because of the COVID-19
epidemic. Local police, on the other hand, retrieved the baby and returned it to its parents. Before
COVID-19, RMG personnel had already been identified as a very vulnerable group, with evidence
of heightened risk including rape and suicidal cases (during lockdown), illnesses, and deaths linked
to COVID-19.8–11. COVID-19 is a severe public health concern in both underdeveloped and
developed countries. (Humayun, Myfanwy and Kim 2020)
LITERATURE REVIEW
Everyone is being cursed as a result of the current economic dislocation, whether businesspeople,
service providers, students, or unemployed youth. Islam (2020) found that the recent COVID-19
pandemic has caused colossal damage in this emerging South Asian nation most notably in public
health, social well-being, and Education in Bangladesh. A blogging site Fair wear(2020) cited that
According to research conducted in Bangladesh, the COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant
impact on the clothing industry. Factories were hit with higher production costs, while unit prices
and orders fell. Workers, unsurprisingly, suffer the burden of job losses and income losses.

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According to a study from Unicef (2020), it is noticed that 1Introduction and background the
coronavirus pandemic has been the driving force of the country's economy in recent years,
accounting for 80% of export revenues. RMG factory revenue was a major component in forecasts
that Bangladesh will achieve middle-income status by 2021. However, it is no exaggeration to
state that the industry has 'fallen off a cliff since the establishment of COVID-19, as many
manufacturers have closed and are unable to pay salaries. Millions of workers, the majority of
whom are women, have had their orders cancelled or suspended, putting their jobs and financial
security in jeopardy. According to media reports, 70,000 people would have lost their employment
by June 2020, and up to one million jobs would be at risk until the end of the year. A Bangladeshi
NGO named BIGD (2020) stated that Because of COVID-19, the RMG industry in Bangladesh is
in a critical crisis, with a virtual halt to new business and widespread cancellation of existing
orders, resulting in a wave of job losses and agitation among workers, who are demanding factory
closures and payment of unpaid salaries. Amid the crisis, trade unions have been loud about
employees' rights to fair salaries and job security. The government's first financial stimulus
package, which covered workers' wages and was unveiled on March 25, 2020, was focused on the
RMG export sector. BIGD conducted a rapid qualitative study based on in-depth telephone
interviews to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the RMG industry and the
4.1 million workers it employs, as seen through the eyes of trade union leaders, and to determine
their role in negotiating with various industry actors to mitigate the crisis. Boudreau & Naeem
(2021) found that buyer cancellations and renegotiations were common during the early stages of
the epidemic, according to our study. However, according to the findings, individual customers'
reactions to the epidemic differed significantly. In comparison to 2019, BGMEA member
manufacturers saw an almost 17.4 per cent decrease in revenue in 2020. Revenue losses varied
greatly among factories in 2020: those that were smaller, older, less well-managed, and sold to a
wider range of buyers had the greatest revenue losses. The impact appears to be moderate when it
comes to job opportunities: In the second half of 2020, employment fell by 7.4% compared to pre-
COVID-19 levels, though it began to rise near the end of the year. COVID-19 prompted some
factories to postpone or reduce planned capital investments, especially those aimed at boosting
automation. Fairooz (2021) examined that a distinct lack of regard for the RMG employees' well-
being. For years, the fight for adequate pay and other worker rights has been at the forefront of
labour leaders' demands, and this fight has intensified during the pandemic. There were reports of
100 incidences of labour unrest relating to wage payment in June 2020 alone. Following a tripartite
conference with labour leaders, government officials, and factory owners' associations, salaries for
workers who were unable to return to work due to the epidemic were lowered to barely 65%.

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Methodology
The study has made on descriptive research, is conducted to identify the different dimensions of
challenges in the readymade garment industry in Bangladesh. To come up with the result,
researchers were not required to visit the factory. For this reason, researchers have ignored the
direct data collection and surveys. Consequently, the research technique has relied based on
information from secondary sources. Those data were collected through Journals, Research
articles, Thesis papers, newspaper case studies, online newspapers and survey reports, garments
Manufacturing Industries Annual reports BGMEA Yearly reports and Files. The data was collected
basically through skimming ad scanning out the findings of a different secondary source. After the
completion of the data collection, descriptive analyses were used to illustrate the data. This study
did not use any unethical means to collect information.
Result and Discussion
Covid-19 is no longer just a global health concern, but also a direct result of the economic
downturn and the labour market. The pandemic has already forced the closure of a variety of
economic sectors, including public transportation, airlines, and the luxury goods industry.Though
the people of Bangladesh are not as badly affected as those in Italy or America, the numbers are
nonetheless rising, forcing most factories to close.
On the other hand, different buyers and importers are cancelling their purchases.Last year's
garment exports in the same month were US$ 26.24 billion (4.8 per cent) higher than this year's,
and just US$3.32 billion less in February than last year. In terms of economic impact, Bangladesh's
garment industry remains the largest exporting industry, with extraordinary growth over the last
two decades.
The garments industry has provided employment chances to workers from rural areas who
previously had no formal employment access.
In the end, it contributes to poverty reduction, women's empowerment, and societal
development.
Because of the corona pandemic scenario in Bangladesh, an indirect lockdown was implemented
for the first time on March 26, 2020, and was extended six times until May 30, 2020.
Transportation, industrial, agricultural facilities, and schools, colleges, and factories were all shut
down.

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Source: BGMEA (2021)
Figure 1: Comparative Statement on Export of RMG & Total Export of Bangladesh (Value in
Million USD)
Fig-1 shows the overall comparison of the export of RMG and the total export of Bangladesh over
the years. It clearly shows that even though the export of rmg was gradually increasing from
2010-2011 to 2018-2019, it suddenly broke down in 2019-2020. The total value of exports fell
dramatically from 34133.24 million (USD) to 279491.19 million. It is because a large number of
orders were cancelled due to the effect of COVID-19. As the buying nations started to quarantine
themselves, eventually the orders dropped. (BGMEA 2021)
In December 2020, US garment imports from Bangladesh fell by $56.17 million to $361.88
million, down from $418.057 million the previous month. (new-age business, 2021)

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Source: Lutfor, Hridoy and Israt. (2021)
Figure 2: Workers in many sectors around the world who are at risk of losing their jobs.
A vast number of people are employed in the garment industry, either directly or indirectly, and
they are at risk of losing their jobs in big numbers.
Transportation has the same influence on dairy, tourism, and poultry.
Orders have recently been cancelled, large companies are at risk of losing their investment, various
factories are closing their doors, millions of jobs are in jeopardy, and the economy is suffering.
Because there is no vaccine until June 13, 2020, the government is adopting certain practical steps
and policies to ensure that the economy runs smoothly and that the country avoids a period of
depression as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The below Figure 2 shows the closures of the workplace, public events cancellation, income support and
public transport closure.

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Source: Lutfor, Hridoy and Israt (2021)
Fig-3:Bangladesh's situation in several industries for Covid-19.
In Figure 3, public transportation is completely shut down from March 16 to May 30, resulting in
millions of people losing their jobs.
For a long time, public activities and workplaces have been closed; only a few government
workplaces, such as defence, hospitals, and emergency services, have reopened.
Bangladesh's apparel factories accounted for roughly 84 per cent of the country's total export, but
due to the pandemic, major buyers from various countries, including Topshop, Asda, Urban
Outfitters, Sports Direct, New Look, Peacocks, and other larger companies, cancelled orders worth
approximately US$ 3.4 billion in March and April.
Workers, on the other hand, are not being paid. The STAR (Sustainable Textile of Asian Region)
has attempted to organize the groups that create fashion goods in Bangladesh, Cambodia,
Myanmar, Pakistan, China, and Vietnam. BGMEA opted to repair manufacturing units with 30%
of the workforce, encouraging only workers who live near their respective 7 firms to participate.
However, more than half of those working there are breaking the Covid-19 criteria, according to
the BGMEA inspection team. The profit for the first ten months of this fiscal year (July 19 to April
20) is down 14 per cent, the lowest in the last five years. Only in May 2020 does the profit fall by
55.7 per cent. Between March and June, US$ 3.18 billion in orders for 982 million components
were cancelled, affecting 2.28 million Bangladeshi employees whose employment are in jeopardy.
According to Meckengi, Bangladesh's textiles sector sales will drop by around US$10 billion in
2020, a 30 per cent drop due to Covid-19. (Lutfor, Hridoy and Israt)

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Source: Lutfor, Hridoy and Israt. (2021)
Fig - 4: The state of Bangladesh's economy and Covid-19:
Figure 4 shows that the overall number of positive cases in Bangladesh is increasing day by day,
with the greatest number of people impacted on June 12th, 2020, at 3471 per day.
Because no vaccine has yet been developed, it will be necessary to defend against the virus by
instituting measures such as lockdown, hand sanitization, and the use of musk, among others.
The economy will be harmed even more if the lockdown lasts longer.
Covid19's overall case count in Bangladesh.
Recommendation
Based on the results of the study and domestic and global literature, the study suggests the
following recommendations help RMG entrepreneurs, legislators, and other stakeholders deal with
the issues posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government can enact legislation mandating that no factories are closed or workers are laid
off without first paying their dues.
If a production closure is required due to an emergency, the factory must pay workers until the
situation improves, and no workers can be fired.
The financial institution may assist the industry by providing loans and other forms of financial
assistance.

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Conclusion
Because there isn't enough information to know how long COVID-19 lives on different surfaces
(fabric, metal, plastic, etc. ), it's plausible that the virus may be spread across the border if the
clothing is created by COVID-19 infected people.
As a result, all actors in the Bangladesh RMG sector, including global health communities,
BGMEA, international brands/retailers, the GoB, and the International Labor Organization, must
act quickly to protect workers' health and overall well-being, as well as the health of people in
other countries, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, to ensure Bangladesh's economic sustainability, the global supply chain and RMG
trade must be tenured for the long term. Clothing production during the COVID-19 epidemic
should not proceed without a thorough review of the system and the preparation of a plan to protect
workers' health and safety. Finally, the United Nations Development Program has launched an
immediate assessment for global trades to conduct human rights due diligence in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The Bangladesh government and the RMG business must take notice of this
warning. Because the garments sector contributes the most to export revenues, it has the potential
to turn around Bangladesh's economy right now. Even though some corporations have recently
returned their dues, the number of orders cancelled is so great that manufacturers are unable to pay
their employers and are losing their jobs, increasing our unemployment rate day by day. Many
families are struggling to make ends meet as a result of their reliance on this sector.
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