(BGO) - In the first quarter of 2021, as the Covid-19 pandemic calmed down, the export turnover of the textile and garment industry was still modest but showed signs of recovery. This is a positive signal that contributes to boosting export activities in Bac Giang province.
Many orders, favorable export
The total textile, garment and footwear export value of the province in the first three months of 2021 increased by 85.68 million USD over the same period last year. The main export markets were the US, EU countries, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain and India. Relevant agencies forecast that the export value of the garment and textile industry will continue to rise in April and the second quarter.
A production line of the Ha Bac Export Garment Joint Stock Company. |
A survey conducted at the Bac Giang BGG Garment Corporation (Bac Giang city) showed that since the outbreak of Covid-19, the firm has encountered many difficulties in production and business activities. Its revenue in 2020 dropped nearly 50 percent compared to the previous year. As the pandemic has been better controlled in the world and in the country since the beginning of this year, the company has immediately embarked on promoting production and business, and actively connecting with traditional partners to sign contracts.
Chairman of the corporation Nguyen Huu Phai said that keeping pace with the new production situation, the unit has called on all workers to return to work as well as employed more laborers. It has also provided more incentives for workers, launched production emulation movements, increased working hours and imported a large volume of raw materials for stockpiles. In addition, the enterprise reviewed facilities and equipment, as well as repaired, upgraded and replaced old and broken machinery, thus contributing to increasing labor productivity to meet export orders.
By this way, the company has signed orders until the end of June 2021. In March alone, it exported 5 million USD worth of products, three times higher than the figure of the same period last year.
Similarly, at the Ha Bac Export Garment Joint Stock Company (Viet Yen district), the working atmosphere is also urgent these days. A representative of the company said that over the past time, despite being affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, with reduced export orders, its production activities have remained stable thanks to available material reserves. Since the beginning of the year, the company has focused on production, targeting the US and EU markets.
To meet export demand, in addition to focusing on improving skills for workers and investing in modern machinery, the company has regularly updated the market situation and strictly followed the goods transportation process in line with pandemic prevention and control regulations. In the first 3 months of the year, its export value reached more than 50 million USD, up 15 percent year on year.
Actively preparing adaptation scenarios
According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, the province has about 130 enterprises operating in garment and textile - a commodity group making up a large proportion of the locality’s total export value. The growth of the industry contributes to promoting local socio-economic development. However, it still takes a long time for the textile and garment industry to gradually recover and regain growth momentum as in the years before the pandemic. Bac Giang has put forth many measures to attract investment and accompany businesses in restoring production.
Tran Quang Tan, Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, said his agency is coordinating to do well the forecasting of demand and market situation for enterprises; perform major tasks and solutions to improve the investment and business environment, and enhance competitiveness. It is also promoting administrative procedure reform and supporting enterprises to do online procedures. The provincial Department of Taxation and the Customs Sub-department in charge of the province’s industrial zones have increased the staff to work overtime to help businesses import and export goods smoothly and on time as committed to their partners. Commercial banks have created favorable conditions for businesses to get preferential loans to develop production.
Along with the mechanisms and policies of the province and the Government, the textile and garment enterprises have actively overcome difficulties and developed production scenarios to adapt to the new situation. Many units have tapped development opportunities from the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to expand their markets.