Founded in 1987 by M. A. Bashar, Tru Group began as a small weaving unit and has since evolved into a diversified textile enterprise encompassing weaving, dyeing, garments, and other specialized operations. With decades of experience, the group has established itself as a leading player in Bangladesh’s textile industry, renowned for its unwavering commitment to quality and consistency. Tru Group’s primary strength lies in delivering high-quality fabrics with consistent standards, earning the trust of buyers who have remained partners for 15 to 18 years. In recent years, Tru Group has expanded its focus to functional and innovative fabrics for workwear and other specialized applications, supported by a dedicated R&D department. Additionally, the group is investing heavily in sustainability initiatives, including water and energy reuse across all manufacturing processes, reducing costs, and minimizing carbon footprint. By combining innovation, sustainability, and quality, Tru Group continues to strengthen its position as a benchmark for excellence in the textile sector.
Recently, Team Textile Focus had an insightful discussion with Ariful Islam, Deputy Managing Director, Tru Group, who shared valuable perspectives on the RMG industry and the company’s journey. A brief discussion is given below for our respected readers-
Textile Focus: What are the main challenges facing Bangladesh’s primary textile sector, especially with the upcoming LDC graduation in 2026?
Ariful Islam: We are actually putting Bangladesh’s primary textile sector through a very big challenge. Especially, from 2026 we will have the LDC graduation, which is itself a challenge. At this time, it will be important to see how our government will support our industry. If this could be postponed, I think it would be good for us. Because in the past few years, none of us have had a good time. Especially due to the lack of gas, we have lost a lot of resources. On one hand, we have had extra expenses to support our customers, and on the other hand, bank interest is almost 14-15%, with inflation at 8-10%, and utility costs have risen. So, we have been in a multidimensional problem. And recovering from this is not easy even in one, two, or three years.
Textile Focus: How does Bangladesh’s cost structure compare with competitors like China, India, and Vietnam, and why is this concerning for primary millers?
Ariful Islam: If we make a comparison, our competitors China, India, Vietnam have cost of funds in China 4-5%, inflation -1 to 1%; India 9% interest rate and 3% inflation; Vietnam 7–8% interest rate and 3-4% inflation. So, for a primary miller to make a profit, if we take a $1 million loan from the bank at 13-14% interest plus 8% inflation, by the end of the year I will have to pay $140,000 just for interest. And if I want to retain the value of that $1 million, I need to make an additional $80,000-$100,000 profit to maintain that value. So, in total, we must make around $240,000, roughly a 22% profit margin. In reality, we have no opportunity to compete with our competitors.
Textile Focus: What other factors beyond interest rates affect Bangladesh’s competitiveness in the primary textile industry?
Ariful Islam: Another crucial factor is utility bills. Currently, China, Bangladesh, India, and Vietnam are similar, so we have no competitive advantage here either. Thirdly, the people in our industry, when our gas supply was stable, we achieved efficiency. But in the past three or four years, the efficiency we have achieved consistently has been lost due to gas issues. So again, we have no competitive advantage. With 22%+ inefficiency, how can an institution or a primary textile sector survive? Therefore, I would say the policymakers should think about our industry, talk with us, and come forward to solve these problems.
Textile Focus: What is the history and strength of Tru Group in the textile industry?
Ariful Islam: Tru Group has been in the textile business since 1987, when my father started it. We began with a weaving unit, and Alhamdulillah, we gradually expanded into weaving, dyeing, garments, and many other institutions. Now we focus on weaving, dyeing and jute yarn manufacturing, which we started at the beginning of this year with 600 ton monthly capacity and by the grace of Allah, it’s already being exported to many countries.
Our greatest strength lies in our uncompromising quality and unwavering consistency. This commitment has earned the trust of our buyers, many of whom have continued partnering with us for 15 to 18 years. We ensure that the end consumer experiences the same exceptional quality every time year after year. As a result, everyone in the value chain, from retailers to primary suppliers, benefits from stable, consistent business.
Textile Focus: What are Tru Group’s current initiatives and plans for sustainability and growth in the coming years?
Ariful Islam: Additionally, we have been focusing for the last year on functional fabrics, through which we are targeting workwear and other different product lines. Our R&D department is continuously working to introduce new products into the market and industry. Our strength is that we want to make Bangladesh known with innovation and new products.
We are currently mostly investing in sustainability. For the past year, we have been working to reuse water and utilities in all processes so that we can reduce costs and ultimately reduce our carbon footprint. In this one year, in each fabric manufacturing process, we are reusing water and heat across processes and taking further steps to maximize efficiency and minimize waste. If Bangladesh’s LDC graduation is postponed, we intend to invest in man-made materials. We will prioritize delivering fully quality products there as well, so that we can win the customers’ confidence again. Our mission is to deliver innovative and advanced fabric materials that reduce the use of natural resources and address environmental challenges. We believe in sustainable and long-term relationships with our coworkers, customers, suppliers, and investors.
