An apparel roadmap targets $50billion earning from the item’s exports by 2021. The draft roadmap will be presented to the government at a three-day apparel safety and exposition programme beginning August 6 in the port city of Chittagong, the sector’s trade body chief told a press conference at the BGMEA building in Dhaka on Sunday. To be held at Radisson hotel, the mega exposition will explore every avenue towards achieving the vision of $50 billion of RMG export in 2021 as set in the Dhaka Apparel Summit 2014, said Atiqul Islam, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed is expected to inaugurate the event. The Bangladesh Apparel and Safety Expo Chittagong, 2015 will showcase locally developed apparel products and provide an ideal opportunity for global apparel retailers to meet experienced clothing makers of Bangladesh. The expo will also introduce local apparel manufacturers to wide range of safety equipment and service providers, according to the BGMEA. It also aims at facilitating dialogue among stakeholders in four informative seminars on August 6-7 to work out ways for Bangladesh to pursue its $ 50 billion RMG export vision and become a premium brand worldwide by 2021. Riding on 35 years of experience, Bangladesh is regarded as one of the preferred apparel sourcing destinations in the world, the BGMEA president further said. Details of the roadmap will be handed over to the commerce minister during the event, Atiqul Islam informed the journalists. He further said that they will arrange the exhibition in the port city as 95 per cent of the country’s total export and import activities are held at Chittagong seaport. Pointing to fuel crisis as a top hindrance to the RMG industry, the BGMEA chief said it will not be difficult to fetch $50 billion from RMG exports if energy supply to the factories remains undisrupted.
