Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) will hold a three-day exposition - BATEXPO-2010 - on November 25-27 in the city, focusing on expanding new markets for the country’s garment products, reports UNB.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the exposition at Bangabandshu International Conference Centre (BICC) on November 25 while Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia will attend the closing session on November 27.
Briefing members of the Oversees Correspondents Association Bangladesh (OCAB), BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedy said: “In the present context of recovery from the global recession, I believe BATEXPO would create a great opportunity for us to sustain our growth and share, particularly this year’s BATEXPO comes with a focus on expanding new markets.”
He said despite the adverse impact of the global economic recession, they have been able to reach US$ 12.50 billion in RMG exports last fiscal year. The first quarter of this year also marked 30 per cent growth in knit and woven sectors.
Murshedy expects more buyers at the BATEXPO this year as the global recession has already begun to show improvement. Last year, BATEXPO received US$ 41.64 million in spot orders and expects more this year.
He said organizations from India, Pakistan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Brazil and Bangladesh will participate in the exposition. Around 137 stalls will be set up, of which 40 stalls have been allotted to foreign companies.
There will be two cultural nights on November 25 and 26 including a fashion show at the outer pavement of the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
Asked about exploring new markets for Bangladeshi apparels, Murshedy said they will focus on Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and India.
Asked about the implementation of the new minimum wages for garment workers, he said it would be a big challenge in the wake of price fall due to global recession on one hand and on the other price-hike of cotton in the international market.
Moreover, the BGMEA president said electricity and power crisis, inadequate infrastructure and port congestion are some of the major bottlenecks affecting the competitiveness of the Bangladeshi garments in the global market.
“At this point, to implement the new wages we have to face an uphill challenge and we need the support from our valued buyers and the government for the proper implementation,” he said.
Murshedy also urged the government to implement its announced incentive package, particularly for small and medium factories.
Presently, 35 lakh workers - 80 per cent of them female - are employed in the country’s garment industry.