The 24th Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition (BATEXPO) is going to raise the curtain from October 10-12, 2013 at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Dhaka. Being one of the largest expositions in the Asia-Pacific region, BATEXPO is annually organized by BGMEA since 1989. Like before, a good number of knit, woven and sweater manufacturers and exporters will showcase their latest developments in the exhibition. Moreover, a good number of local and foreign fabric and accessories manufacturers along with technology and service providers will be present. To encourage the biggest contributor to the nation’s GDP – the RMG sector – like last year, this time also the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be the Chief Guest and would inaugurate the show.
[bleft]With over 80 participants, the visitation in last year’s edition was satisfactory despite the negativity of the strike, brought on by political instability, showing clearly that the garment industry and its players are very determined to chalk out a growth plan. [/bleft]
Yet again the industry will experience the latest developments from the garment, fabrics and accessories sector. In last year’s edition, there were a good number of garment and sweater exporters like Beximco, Youngone, Pioneer Sweaters, A Plus Industries, Tamanna Sweaters, Hema Sweater Fashion, Samsons Sweaters, Floreal Knitwear, to mention a few exhibiting their latest product categories. The fabric section was dominated by the Chinese exhibitors; however, the accessories section was full of local Bangladeshi companies with a few foreign exhibitors. From the service sector, all the major banks and multinational audit and testing companies like Intertek, SGS, TUV SUD, to mention some were present. Unlike the last edition of BATEXPO where only few international buyers visited the fair, the organisers expect much bigger and better visitation in this edition.
Despite facing many challenges and yet maintaining an impressive resilience and growth, the RMG industry has become the life-line of Bangladesh’s economy. The recent incidents of Rana Plaza collapse and Tazreen fire have created a consciousness amongst the garment exporters to spruce up their factories and work towards making better working conditions for their workers. The determination to bounce back was reflected in a statement by Md. Atiqul Islam, President, BGMEA, “The exposition provides a unique platform to show the world what Bangladeshi clothing manufacturers and exporters could offer to the rest of the world.”
Currently the garment industry in Bangladesh is worth US $ 21.5 billion making it the second largest apparel exporting country in the world occupying around 4.8% share of the world market. The US imports alone from Bangladesh totalled US $ 4.9 billion in 2012, an increase of 0.8 per cent (US $ 39 million) from that in 2011, and contributed enormously not only to export earnings but also in generating mass employment, looking at attaining its target of US $ 50 billion. “It is our thrust to make the “Made in Bangladesh” brands the best brand in the world; our entrepreneurs are now going for environment-friendly green manufacturing plants and they are investing in more sophisticated production technologies. We are working together to make every RMG factory safe, compliant, risk-free and eco-friendly,” highlighted the President.
Undoubtedly, BATEXPO 2013 will play a crucial role to uphold the growth of the garment industry.
