The international clothing retailers and brands always put a downward price pressure on the local suppliers and this time they are demanding a 5 per cent discount even amid the ongoing volatile economic situation, the garment exporters said today.

Even the suppliers have been accepting prices lower than the production cost, otherwise they fear the retailers may discontinue doing trade with the manufacturers, said Mohammad Hatem, executive president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).

Hatem was speaking at a dialogue on May Day organised by HerNet held at Gulshan Club in Dhaka.

Alisha Pradhan, general secretary of HarNet Foundation, moderated the dialogue.