Pran Foods
Chorka Textile plans to double exports to $200m
Chorka Textile – a sister concern of Pran-RFL Group – is planning to boost their export earnings to $200 million in the next two years through the use of double shifts. This means the company will run two shifts a day with separate teams of workers, instead of the usual one shift system.
A technologically advanced knit garment manufacturer, Chorka’s exports had reached $90 million in the FY2020-21.
Chairman and CEO of Pran-RFL Group Ahsan Khan Chowdhury made the disclosure on Saturday after showing journalists the production process at the Chorka factory in Narsingdi’s Danga area, saying, “The RMG sector can easily create jobs, which is not possible in any other sectors.
“There is ample opportunity in the country’s export oriented apparel industry. Bangladeshi apparel exporters have mostly explored the US and European markets, but a good number of markets is still untapped. We have already reached 141 countries with our brand Pran.”
“After entering the RMG business, we have penetrated African markets, and gradually reached several islands in Australia too.
“By capturing local markets of those countries, we can double our exports,” Ahsan added.
Sharing his vision, he continued, “With 130 production lines, the company is exporting clothing goods worth around $90 million. Utilising our existing installed capacity, we have already launched a few double shifts to increase production capacity and ensure maximum utilisation.
“If a person works for 12 hours, their productivity will not improve. This is why we are thinking of fully adopting the double shift system, where a worker will only work for eight hours a day. They currently enjoy incentives based on performance and are entitled to provident funds.”
After the introduction of a full-fledged double shift system, Chorka’s capacity will reach 260 lines instead of the existing 130. “We have a vision to expand our capacity and increase our exports to $200 million by the next two years,” he added.
Discussing the global RMG market, Ahsan said, “Bangladesh has a huge export opportunity with lingerie products, and 30% of our total export earnings comes from this segment. We are focusing on expanding this opportunity.
“However, the business community needs policy support to grow further because it provides the highest employment.”
“Bangladesh’s revenue is highly dependent on import duties. But we need to be open about providing opportunities to investors and businesses who are mostly relocating from China and other countries,” he told journalists.
Equipped with state of the art automatic and semi-automatic machinery and employing around 7,000 employees, Chorka has the capacity to produce 7.5 million clothing items per month.
The manufacturer has already made an investment of Tk 500 crore ($70 million). Chorka fashion produces sleepwear, casualwear, active wear, swimwear, and children wear and lingerie products for about 30 globally renowned buyers. The company provides medical facilities, schooling facilities for children, lunch at Tk5, and dormitories for over 2,000 workers.
