Howlader employs 25 workers and said about 2,000 people in all are working in Merajnagar’s flag factories.

Messi and Neymar’s teams dominate by far Howlader’s order list. “Argentina and Brazil are the two most popular teams in Bangladesh,” he said.

“I have even got orders to make 50-foot long Argentine flags. These two teams have the most supporters in our country. Germany, Spain and Portugal are the other popular teams.”

Some four million people work in Bangladesh’s 4,500 apparel factories, who provide billions of dollars worth of clothes to top retailers around the world.

But experts and rights groups say that while there has been progress in improving conditions for garment workers in the country, they still often face long hours, dangerous working environments and dismally low pay.

The flag boom means extra income for poor workers like Nargis Akhter, 28, and her husband Mohammad Iqbal who work in Howlader’s factory.

“On an average every day we make 3,000 takas ($35),” said Iqbal. An average garment factory pays about $70 for an entire month’s work — among the world’s lowest wages for such a job.
“I wish the craze for flags would go on for many more months,” said Akhter, with a smile.

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