A three-day international garments and textile machinery expo, BIGTEX Chittagong 2018, would begin in Chittagong on May 10.Manufacturers, dealers, suppliers and importers of from home and abroad will display garment and textile machinery, equipment, technology and accessories at the exhibition at GEC Convention Centre in the port city, said the organisers at a press conference at Well Park Hotel on Sunday. Event management company Red Carpet 365 Limited chief executive officer Ahmed Imtiaz said that 12 countries including Bangladesh, China, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka and Turkey would participate in the fair.Chittagong city mayor AJM Nasir Uddin will inaugurate the fair on May 10, he said.China Textile Machinery Association is the co-partner of the fair. The fair is supported by Well Group, Bangladesh Indenting Agents Association, Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association, WELL Thread, and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association.The fair will have two concurrent expos –– 2nd Bangladesh International Fabrics and Yarn Expo and 2nd Bangladesh International Print, Pack and Signage Expo.Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association senior joint secretary Althaf Uddin said that being the major seaport of Bangladesh, Chittagong was handling about 92 per cent of import-export trade of the country. Chittagong is the second apparel hub after Dhaka, he added.This fair will encourage local manufacturers and producers to export their goods while foreign buyers will also visit to check new trends and quality garment and textile machineries, equipment, technology and accessories, he said.Well group executive director Manzurul Ahsan said that Bangladesh was the second largest apparel exporter in the world, top denim exporter to the European Union and the second largest knitwear exporter in the world. To continue this growth the industry needs proper machinery, raw materials, yarn, fabrics, dyes and chemicals, he added.
