The four-day garment and allied machinery exposition styled Garmentech Bangladesh started yesterday at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre to showcase the latest machinery and technologies for the RMG and textile sectors in the country.

More than 100 companies from home and abroad are showcasing machinery for sewing, knitting, finishing, laundry, embroidery, printing, laser, computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) at the ninth version of the show.

Zakaria Trade and Fair International of Bangladesh and ASK Trade and Exhibitions Pvt Ltd of India co-organised the event.

“The exposition has come up with the latest technology and solutions for productivity increase, skill development and value addition of the sector,” said Zakaria Bhuiyan, chairman of Zakaria Trade and Fair International, at the inauguration.

This year, organisers have added a new event, international fabrics and accessories sourcing fair, at the same venue, he said.

“The survey that we conducted on the last two years' expositions inspired us to extend the product display beyond machinery,” said Bhuiyan.

The fair will enable Bangladeshi garment industry to develop new alternative sources of supplies and make new contacts, he added.

The show will also act as a platform to address the problems of the manufacturers of apparel fabrics and garment accessories, and IT service providers from Pakistan, China, Turkey, Germany, India and Bangladesh, Bhuiyan said.

Faruque Hassan, acting president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, MA Baset, acting president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, and K Nanda Gopal, director of ASK Trade and Exhibitions Pvt Ltd, Dietrich Stotz, programme coordinator of German Development Cooperation (GTZ), among others, were present at the inauguration.