Data on 3,630 export-oriented garment factories has been brought under the digital maps of Mapped in Bangladesh (MiB) digital maps. 27 lacs 51 thousand and 779 workers work in these factories.
Of the 3,630 garment factories added to the digital map as of January this year, 2,735 are members of BGMEA and BKMEA, two organisations of garment industry owners. The remaining 895 factories are not members of BGMEA and BKMEA. This has been informed in a press release of MiB.
BRAC University’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) is working on the implementation of the five-year Mapped in Bangladesh (MiB) project. It is being managed under the supervision of BRAC. The MiB project is being funded by the Lodes Foundation and the Government of the Netherlands. BGMEA, BKMEA are working as strategic partners for this project. In addition, the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) is also providing assistance.
The objective of MiB is to build an accurate, reliable and up-to-date database of export oriented readymade garments factories. So that greater efficiency, productivity, accountability and transparency can be ensured in this sector.
Mapped in Bangladesh recently reported that 25 lacs 65 thousand and 761 workers work in the 3,212 export-oriented garments factories in the country. Of these, 42% are male workers and 58% are female workers.
A survey of 555 garment factories that aren’t BGMEA and BKMEA members found that 86 thousand and 697 workers were employed in the factories at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, 58 thousand workers were laid off.
