Political unrest in Bangladesh during the fag end of last year made some foreign buyers divert their orders to Pakistan. Readymade garment (RMG) export from Pakistan in December 2006 was up by 15 per cent against the same period of the previous year and 32 per cent over the previous month, Karachis daily Business Recorder reported on January, 23.

The chairman of Pakistan Readymade Garment Association, Ijaz Khokhar, said, This boost in the readymade garment exports also took place due to continued political turmoil in Bangladesh, because a portion of foreign textile orders were diverted from there to Pakistan.

According statistics released on the day showed in December, Pakistans readymade garment exports stood at $132.26 million as compared to $114.969 million in December 2005 and $100.26 million in November 2006. Readymade garment exports stood at $691.928 million during JulyDecember as compared to $675.108 million exports during the same period in 2005.

Pakistan, garments exporter of over $1 billion, is globally reputed for textile fabrics and bed linen and is developing capacity in apparels in recent times. Bangladeshs $8 billion plus apparel export industry faced disruption in production at least by 10 per cent due to political unrest.

Cambodian garment exports jump 17pc

Cambodias garment exports jumped 17 per cent in 2006, manufacturers said on Jannuary, 24 (Wednesday), but they warned that continuing labour disputes could scare investors away from the key sector. Exports last year were worth slightly more than 2.5 billion US dollars, up from 2.2 billiondollars in 2005, manufacturer representative Van Sou Ieng said during a meeting between the government and private sectors.

But to be able to sustain such growth it is needed to maintain an environment that is conductive to peace and order in the work place. Many strikes from nonethical and irresponsible unions have created a bad image of Cambodia. This has become intolerable to the point where it has affected the confidence of existing investors.

While Cambodias garment sector continues to expand—the industry boasts nearly 300 factories employing over 330,000 people—labour issues continue to plague manufacturers who complain that the government is failing to regulate unions.