Coping in a World of Liberal Trade : The Way Forward for Bangladesh's Apparel Exporting Sector

The paper endeavors to identify the growth of Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing sector in the level playing field under the liberalised trade credo after the phasing out of quota regime under the Agreement of Textile and Clothing instituted by the World Trade Organisation. Analysing the past and current state of affairs, dated back from 1995 till date, the investment arguments and results from the development of backward linkage textile sector, potency and limitations of the clothing sector, this paper attempts to focus on Bangladesh's competitiveness in the world market in the years to come. Also discussed are the issues on preferential access to existing markets, product and market diversification and finding Australia as the next big target to apparel exports for Bangladesh