The ninth edition of GAPEXPO, an international garment accessories and packaging products exhibition, will start in Dhaka on January 24 with the aim of showcasing latest products, machinery and raw materials under one roof.The Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association is going to organise the four-day event at the International Convention City, Bashundhara in association with ASK Trade and Exhibition Private Limited and Zakaria Trade and Fair International.A total of 278 companies from 17 countries including Bangladesh, India, Sri Lankan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, France, the USA and Turkey will participate in the fair to display garment accessories and packaging items with machinery.‘Bangladesh has been turned into a sourcing hub for garment products and garment accessories and the packaging manufacturers have started exporting directly. Considering the aspects, we are organising the show to bring buyers and manufacturers under a common platform to bridge the gap between them,’ BGAPMEA president Abdul Kader Khan told New Age.He said that the trade body was going to introduce export trophy for both deemed and direct exporters of accessories to encourage them.For excellent performance three will receive trophy in three categories — gold, silver and bronze — while another nine manufacturers will be given trophy for their contribution as deemed exporters of garment accessories and packaging products, Kader said.The trade body targeted $12 billion export earnings from garment accessories by 2021.According to the BGAPMEA statistics, deemed export earnings from garment accessories and packaging in the financial year 2016-17 stood at $6.70 billion, which is 9.47 per cent higher compared with that of $6.12 billion in the FY 2015-16.
