Bangladeshi yarn consumption slows down in Jan-June 2023

Yarn usage in Bangladesh’s burgeoning knitting and garment export industry dropped 31.55 percent year on year in the first six months of 2023.

Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) data informed that domestic knitting and garment factories purchased 809,351 tons of yarn from January to June 2023, down 373,080 tons or 31.

55 percent year on year.

“Bangladesh imported 413,684 tons of yarn in the first six months of 2023, sharply down from 648,369 tons in the same period of 2022,” BTMA informed.

However, yarn sold by Bangladeshi spinning mills to garment exporters from January to June 2023 totaled 395,667, as against 534,062 tons in the first six months of 2022.



Bangladeshi garment exports are growing slower as a result of several factors including the Russia-Ukraine war, the global economic crisis, and a slowdown in its main markets of the US and EU.

“Other reasons for reduced yarn usage include the garment industry importing woven fabrics from other countries and the move towards producing and exporting higher value garments,” media reports said.

Since the garment industry consumes most of the yarn produced in the country, these various factors have led to a decline in yarn consumption, leading to mills and factories reducing yarn and fabric production.

In the first six months of 2023, Bangladesh’s apparel shipments grew very slowly at 1.

19 percent year on year to reach .

97 billion.

Garment exporters too started importing yarn from India as rates were competitive as yarn rates quoted in the domestic market were higher than those of imported yarns.

According to BTMA statistics, Bangladesh has 519 spinning mills, whereas 938 factories produce fabrics.