Readymade garment (RMG) factory owners in Chittagong, hit hard by global recession coupled with severe power crisis and poor infrastructure, have demanded that the government immediately come up with a bailout package to help them make up for the losses they have been facing for the last six months.

Experiencing around 30% drop in orders from foreign buyers during the time, at least 47 out of 742 RMG units in the port city were forced to suspend their production. As the factories have been shut down since February 2009, around 10,000 people became jobless.

The leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association feared that it would not be possible for the owners to keep the usual production pace if the situation does not improve with government intervention.  They blamed the poor placing of buying orders for the absence of sufficient direct air links and a 5-star hotel in the commercial hub.