Rising Group is a dynamic and forward-looking organization in Bangladesh’s textile and apparel industry, renowned for its commitment to quality, sustainability, and innovation. Specializing in high-quality knit-based products through a fully vertical production process—including spinning, knitting, dyeing, and finishing—the group ensures superior efficiency and quality control. Additionally, Rising Group excels in woven-based products, maintaining an unwavering focus on excellence. Guided by a sustainable and steady growth philosophy, the group prioritizes eco-friendly practices, advanced technology, and workforce development to align with global environmental and social responsibility standards. With a vision to build a trusted name internationally, Rising Group is dedicated to leading the textile industry into a sustainable future.
Mahmud Hasan Khan, managing director of Rising Group and former VP of BGMEA, recently talked with Textile Focus to share his thoughts about the future RMG sector and necessary action plans. A brief discussion is given below-

Textile Focus: How was 2024 for your company, and what obstacles do you think the RMG sector faced in exports?
Mahmud Hasan Khan: The apparel industry is always challenging, and these challenges are usually internal and external. Internal challenges are dealt with individually, such as paying workers on time, securing fair prices from buyers, maintaining proper bank transactions, ensuring shipments are on track, etc.
These challenges have always been there and will continue to exist. However, in 2024, we faced more external challenges.
In Bangladesh, minimum wage revision and national elections occur every five years, and this time, both happened simultaneously. Buyers typically place fewer orders during such years due to increased uncertainty. Additionally, the year saw issues such as political upheaval in July, government transitions, labour protests, abnormal inflation, etc. Overall, 2024 was a very challenging year for us.
Textile Focus: Despite this, exports have steadily increased, with a positive outlook overall. What challenges do you think need to be addressed to maintain this position, and what kind of support is required from the government?
Mahmud Hasan Khan: As I mentioned earlier, 2024 was unfavourable for us, but our export rate increased. Our export growth would have been even higher without these challenges and obstacles. We are also anticipating significant challenges in 2025.
Challenges will persist until the interim government announces a proper election because investors hesitate to invest. A clear roadmap would increase investment and create more job opportunities. We are also facing new challenges, such as the sudden rise in gas prices and growing bank interest rates. These unpredictable changes add to our difficulties.
Textile Focus: Regarding BGMEA, we see a continuous election process compared to before. On the other hand, internal issues have emerged due to matters like government transitions, which seem uncontrollable. Do you think the BGMEA elections will happen on time? As a panel leader, what will you do for the general members?
Mahmud Hasan Khan: The board was dissolved over a specific issue, and most of us know why. The board is generally formed for 120 days. The administrator must conduct elections within 120 days of taking office. As far as I know, elections will occur in the first or second week of April, and the election committee will ensure this. No manufacturer expects BGMEA to bring us LCs or orders from buyers. What they want is reasonable operating costs. If business costs increase, we will lose markets, and orders will shift to other countries. The government should form a tariff policy to oversee this comprehensively.
Firstly, we need to improve port services. Secondly, the Bangladesh Bank should establish a specific segment in bank statements for exports. For instance, GTF and TDF should be treated as separate term loans. Proper use of data is also crucial. If there are issues in just 3-4 factories among 2,300-2,400 factories, it often becomes a national issue for the entire garment sector. We need to move past this perception. If we fail to present a positive image of this industry, the main problem will be that the next generation will not want to enter this business. The first generation didn’t have many options, so we came into this industry. However, with better opportunities, the next generation will only enter the industry if it offers them proper respect and recognition. This industry has a bright future if we focus on the positive aspects instead of the negatives.
Effective branding is crucial in attracting investment and solidifying Bangladesh’s position on the global stage,
Textile Focus: Lastly, could you tell us about Rising Group? What is unique about your fabrics, where do you specialize, and what are your plans for the group?
Mahmud Hasan Khan: Rising Group’s speciality lies in its awareness and plans for sustainable expansion. We are planning slow but steady growth. We do not pursue expansions that cannot be sustained in the future. We aim to establish a good reputation in the industry, where all will recognize our name alone. We specialize in knit-based products and are fully vertical in this area, including spinning, knitting, dyeing, etc. For woven-based products, we are not as vertical as in knit, but we never compromise on quality.