The upcoming Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) election has created a significant interest in the country’s apparel industry, with two major panels- Forum and Sammilita Parishad – preparing to contest. Both panels have finalised their candidates for the 26 director posts in Dhaka and 9 in Chittagong.
The managing director of Rising Fashions Limited, Mahmud Hasan Khan (Babu), is in charge of the Forum panel, and Abul Kalam, the managing director of Chaity Composite Ltd., is in charge of the Sammilita Parishad. Prominent regional industry leaders are featured on both panels.
A senior forum candidate, Faisal Samad, Managing Director of Savartex Group, said, “This time, we are satisfied with the election process so far and are hopeful about the outcome. With a mix of experienced and young leadership, we have formed a well-balanced panel, and we are optimistic that the Forum Panel will win.”
“If elected, we plan to address several issues. Firstly, there is currently no exit policy in place; we only have an entry policy, which needs to be rectified. Secondly, we need a separate ministry for garments. At present, we fall under the Ministry of Commerce, but as there is already a Ministry of Textiles and Jute, we propose merging that with the RMG sector to create a dedicated ministry, which would be highly beneficial for this industry.
We will also place greater emphasis on automation, as this area requires more attention to improve the ease of doing business. Furthermore, sustainability must be addressed, not just in garment production but also in terms of our workers. Their rights must be protected. We will focus on how to better appreciate and train our workforce,” he added.
Speaking to this correspondent, another Forum candidate, Shah Rayeed Chowdhury, director of Evitex Dress Shirt Ltd., Evince Group, said, “Our panel stands for change. We aim to introduce policy reforms that support small and medium factories, ensure sustainability, to inspire new entrepreneurs.”
“We always talk about product diversification, where market exploration is a key part of that. If we win this election, I personally intend to serve the board by focusing market beyond the US, particularly, Europe, South America, Panama, Peru, China, and Australia, which have largely been overlooked until now.”, Rayeed added.
Echoing the same sentiment, a third Forum candidate, Rumana Rashid, Managing Director of Rumana Fashion Limited., East West Group, averred, “If I win the 2025-2027 BGMEA election, I will work on non-traditional market development. This includes identifying emerging regions and untapped opportunities beyond our traditional export destinations like the US and EU. I also intend to work on ensuring a safe and supportive working environment for women.”
Meanwhile, Sammilita Parishad candidate, Sohel Sadat, chairman of Shin Shin Group, emphasised, “If I get the opportunity to serve the BGMEA for the term 2025-27, I would personally like to work on a few things to take the industry forward.
First, I would like to work to fix minimum floor prices so that every BGMEA member gets a fair price for their orders. Secondly, I would like to work with buyers, RSC, and government to formulate a unified code of conduct for the social audits in the apparel factories.
Thirdly, I would like to work with all the stakeholders for attaining GSP Plus so that our apparel exports to Europe continue to enjoy duty-free even after Bangladesh’s graduation to a middle-income country. Fourthly, I will strive to establish a cell at the BGEMA from which all BGMEA members could get advisory support in cases of order cancellation, non-payment of order, or any other legal issues.
Last but not the least, to promote sustainability best practices, I will be working to establish a digital ESG Platform for the factories. The foundation of the platform has already been laid in my last tenure for a few months at the BGMEA Board. I want to make it more enriched and internationally acceptable.”
The BGMEA election is expected to be held on 31st May. According to the final list, a total of 1,864 voters will participate in this year’s election, including 1,561 in Dhaka and 303 in Chittagong.
