THE IMPACT OF THE COVID PANDEMIC ON THE COST OF PRODUCTION AND ORDERS IN BANGLADESH

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed, and exacerbated, the power imbalance along the value chain between the producers of the global south and the buyers of the global north. The Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh is of no exception. The Covid pandemic caused an array of social and economic crises worldwide, which triggered a decline in consumption of western markets, and the subsequent cancellation of orders from global brands to Bangladeshi RMG producers. This study aims to uncover the impact the Covid pandemic has had—and is still having—on this already strained industry. It looks at the efficacy and adequacy of the Bangladeshi government’s measures and subsidies, investigates the inequalities between the buyer and seller, and will help bring to light the full effect the pandemic has had on the workers—and the industry itself—due to the decline in global demand for ready-made garments