B'desh political upheaval boosts Ballari jeans fabric industry: Min

The political turmoil in Bangladesh has unexpectedly benefited the jeans fabric industry in Ballari, which has witnessed a 30% surge in production over the past three months, people aware of the development said on Sunday.

- Hirekop Rajan Samuel

BELAGAVI:

Mallikarjun, the owner of Polax Jeans in Ballari, said that wholesale dealers from Bengaluru and Andhra Pradesh are placing bulk orders for jeans fabric, which has pushed both production and sales. "The quality of our fabric is on par with that of Bangladesh. Ballari is the only district in Karnataka manufacturing world-class clothing. Following the Bangladesh political upheaval, our industry has seen a 30% increase in production in the past three months," Mallikarjun said.

Bangladesh, known as the world's second-largest exporter of jeans fabric, had an established reputation for its superior quality. However, Bangladesh witnessed a massive political turmoil and violent protest led by student organisations in August last year. Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina had to step down on August 5 last year and fled to India following the collapse of the Awami League-administration. An interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took over.