Faruque Hassan, President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), held a meeting with representatives from the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and Enterprise Singapore (ESG). 

The meeting, held in Singapore on January 30, was attended by Francis Chong, Senior Director (Emerging Markets) MTI; Ms. Uma Muniandy, Deputy Director (Emerging Markets) MTI; Vann Ang, Senior Assistant Director (Emerging Markets) MTI; G. Jayakrishnan, Executive Director (South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa) at Enterprise Singapore.

Asif Ashraf, Director, BGMEA, Shams Mahmud, Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Foreign Mission Cell, and Sanjay Kumar Naha, Director of Rose Intimates Ltd were also present at the meeting.

Discussions centered around exploring potential avenues for enhancing trade and investment collaboration between Bangladesh and Singapore.

They also discussed the free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries and the mutual benefits that could be derived from such an agreement.

In the meeting, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan presented Bangladesh as an attractive destination for foreign investors, citing its growing infrastructure, specialized economic zones, and other investment-friendly facilities.

Highlighting the increasing trend of investments from countries including Japan, Korea, and China in Bangladesh, he suggested that Singaporean investors consider exploring emerging sectors such as textile machinery, man-made fiber and technical textiles, recycling industry, light engineering, and shipbuilding.

The BGMEA President stressed the importance of organizing reciprocal visits by businessmen from both countries to foster mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities. 

He sought the cooperation of the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry in facilitating interactions between traders and investors from Bangladesh and Singapore.

Faruque Hassan also underscored the potential of Singapore as a market for Bangladeshi garment exports and called for support in exploring market opportunities in the region.