Apparel exporters have called for further raising garment accessories manufacturing capacity in the country so that they can achieve the target of $100 billion in clothing exports by 2030.
“Increasing productivity and the capacity to locally manufacture the accessories are a must to achieve the $100 apparel export target,” Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan said in the inauguration ceremony of the International Garment Accessories and Packaging Expo at the International Convention City Bashundhara in the capital Wednesday.
The four-day event features four exhibitions – Garment Technology Show Bangladesh, Garment Accessories and Packaging Show, International Yarn and Fabrics Show and Indian Textile and Trade Fair, Bangladesh.
A total of 250 exhibitors, including several dozen from 18 foreign countries, have been showcasing their products and services at 650 stalls in this year’s exhibitions. In the previous edition that took place early 2020, the number of participating companies was 180.
“We are now capable of meeting 100% demand of local industries for garment accessories. Presenting our capacity before the international clients is the key objective of the exhibition,” said Moazzem Hossain Moti, president of the Bangladesh Garment Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association that organised the exhibitions.
Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president Md Jashim Uddin and other business leaders were present in the inauguration programme.
Bangladesh exported apparel items worth $43 billion in FY22 and has a target of raising it to $100 by 2030.
Mentioning that an uninterrupted gas supply is a must to achieve the target, FBCCI President Md Jashim Uddin said they are willing to pay higher for gas.
“We can pay up to Tk25 per cubic metre of gas instead of the existing price of Tk16 if we get an uninterrupted supply of gas,” he said and noted that they already wrote to the ministry concerned to this end.
