Imports from China tumble 21pc for coronavirus
Imports from China slumped 21 per cent year-on-year in volume in the one and a half months to February 15 amid supply disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, official data showed.
Businesses imported 36 lakh tonnes of products in the first seven months of fiscal 2019-20, down 19 % from a year earlier, according to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
In monetary terms, imports also declined this season compared with the same period this past year, said the earnings administration in a written report on the possible impact of the coronavirus outbreak in the world's second major economy.
Bangladesh's main export earner apparel and textile industry is highly reliant on China for cotton yarn and fabrics, textile fabrics and garments accessories.
"Alternative sources ought to be actively thought to import the recycleables of garments if the coronavirus outbreak disrupts supply from China," the report said.
In addition, it suggested considering alternative sources to import parts of mobile phones to aid the budding mobile handset assembling sector.
China may be the biggest trading partner of Bangladesh and the largest source for imports. The world's second greatest economy accounted for greater than a fifth of the country's imports of $56 billion in fiscal 2018-19, Bangladesh Bank data showed.
The NBR report comes amid growing concerns among businesses about potential supply disruption of raw materials, intermediate goods and other materials as a result of the coronavirus outbreak in December this past year.
The deadly disease has already claimed a lot more than 2,500 lives.
The NBR report assessed the possible ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic on export and imports by firmly taking seven top-ranked inbound and outbound what to and from China.
Cotton yarn and woven textile fabrics top the set of the items coming to Bangladesh from China, accompanied by woven textile fabrics, knit textile fabrics and garment accessories.
Bangladesh imported nearly $3 billion worth of the things in fiscal 2018-19 from China, the report said. These products are used as recycleables by the $34 billion garment industry, which represents 84 per cent of the national export receipts.
The import from China was 41 % of the full total import of cotton, cotton yarn/thread and cotton fabrics valued at $7 billion in the last fiscal year, BB data showed.
Of the four products, yarn is used in textile mills to make fabrics, while woven fabrics are used to make garments.
Manufacturers earned $1.2 billion worth of cotton yarn in fiscal 2018-19 and half of last year's total imports already reached Bangladesh between your months of July this past year and January this year, the report said.
In the seven months since July, businesses also imported half of the full total woven textile and knit textile fabrics that they had brought in in the last fiscal year.
The picture can be the same for garment accessory imports from China.
However, the import of mobile parts, which soared last year, may suffer as 27 % of last fiscal year's total imports amounting to $505 million came within the last seven months.
Bangladesh is importing ginger, garlic and cinnamon from Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Egypt, lowering the likelihood of supply shortfall of the essential cooking ingredients, the NBR said.
In case of exports, garment is the primary item shipped to China, followed by jute and jute goods as well as fishes, including crab and eel.
China is increasingly emerging as an export market for Bangladesh and half of the primary exportable items destined for the country were shipped in the July-January period, the NBR said.
"Given the trend, there is absolutely no big risk to exports to China," the NBR
