A high-level delegation from the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Enterprise Singapore (ESG), and the Singapore Port Authority (PSA) met with Faruque Hassan, President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), at the BGMEA Complex in Dhaka on November 27.

Led by Ms. Sheela Pillai, Chargè d’Affaires at the Singapore High Commission in Dhaka, the delegation included key officials such as Dr. Francis Chong, Senior Director (Emerging Markets) MTI; Ms. Audrey Tan, Director, Global Markets (South Asia), ESG; Ms. Uma Muniandy, Deputy Director (Emerging Markets) MTI; Vann Ang, Senior Assistant Director (Emerging Markets) MTI; Arjun Jayaraman, Assistant Director (Emerging Markets) MTI; Alfred Sim, Vice President, Lim Wei Chiang, Assistant Vice President, and Mohammad Abdullah Jahir, Deputy Country General Manager from Singapore Port.

From BGMEA, Shahidullah Azim, Vice President; Miran Ali, Vice President; Asif Ashraf, Director, Neela Hosna Ara, Director; Shovon Islam, Chair of Standing Committee on Press, Publication and Publicity; and Mohammad Kamal Uddin, Chair of Standing Committee on Trade Fair were present at the meeting.

The objective of the meeting was to explore avenues for expanding trade and investment collaboration between Bangladesh and Singapore.

The delegation emphasized the importance of supporting and collaborating on the development of infrastructure and logistics, particularly enhancing the capabilities and efficiency of ports in Bangladesh to facilitate seamless export-import activities.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan highlighted Bangladesh’s expanding economy and its increased focus on infrastructural development to meet the growing demands of trade and industries.

Improved infrastructure along with investment friendly support provided by the government has led to the growing interest of foreign investors.

Faruque Hassan suggested that Singaporean investors could consider investing in different emerging sectors of Bangladesh like textile machinery, man-made fiber and technical textiles, recycling industry, light engineering, and shipbuilding.

He also pointed to the potential of Singapore as a potential market for Bangladeshi garment exports, calling on their support in exploring the market opportunities. The meeting concluded with mutual optimism and a commitment to further explore concrete steps that will contribute to the growth of garment trade between Bangladesh and Singapore.

Oerlikon, manmade fibers solutions and Swiss company Haelixa have collaborated to establish a transparent and sustainable value chain for textile end products, addressing the demands of the European Green Deal.

The key component of their solution is Haelixa’s DNA marker technology, ensuring complete traceability of materials throughout the production process.

Each project receives a unique DNA identity, integrated into the material during the spinning process, making it resistant to tampering or forgery.

Holly Berger, marketing director at Haelixa said, “This innovative technology employs distinct DNA tailored for each project, establishing a unique identity for the material. Once the DNA is integrated into the material, it becomes irremovable, impervious to falsification or alteration.”

Handling is straightforward—the DNA marker is fed into the spinning process with the preparation oil, for example. The preparation system is modified accordingly. Further feeding options are currently being developed.

The collaboration incorporates Oerlikon’s digital platform, atmos.io, which records and analyzes production and process data during yarn manufacturing, providing a digital identity to the yarn from melt to packaging.

This integration allows for clear traceability of yarn components, qualities, manufacturing conditions, and origin in the final garment.

 Jochen Adler, CTO at Oerlikon Manmade Fibers said, “The unique DNA carries the ‘roots’ of the yarn digitally recorded in atmos.io into the everyday life of the end consumer.”

Initial tests have demonstrated 100% traceability in the POY and FDY spinning process, and manufacturers using the atmos.io platform can easily adapt production systems to incorporate DNA markers.

As per the new strategy of Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC), they will revitalize three dormant textile mills situated in Chittagong, Kurigram, and Sylhet by proposing leasing arrangements.

Among them, Kurigram Textile Mills possesses 12,528 spindles, Chittagong Valika Woollen Mills has 3,200 spindles, and Sylhet Textile Mills boasts 25,056 spindles.

Figure: Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC) will revitalize three dormant textile mills situated in Chittagong, Kurigram, and Sylhet by proposing leasing arrangements.

Brigadier General Md Ziaul Hoque, the Chairman of BTMC, announced, “We have identified three textile mills for leasing purposes.”

According to recently outlined terms of reference by BTMC, companies acquiring the mills through leasing must uphold their original purpose and continue producing the same products as before.

Chairman Haque revealed that international tenders would be issued to attract investors and bring these mills back into operation.

The previous attempt to operate some mills through the public-private partnership (PPP) model was unsuccessful, with no mills successfully resuming production.

“Given the lack of success with the PPP model, we are now exploring the lease system,” mentioned the BTMC Chairman, citing the failure of the PPP model in revitalizing production lines.

In identifying obstacles to production resumption, BTMC highlighted the absence of project loans and incentives comparable to those offered in economic zones.

The BTMC, established in July 1972 with 74 mills acquired through nationalization, expanded to 86 mills with the addition of 12 new mills.

Currently, 25 mills are under BTMC’s control. Eight operate on a rental basis, eight have temporarily suspended production, two are being transformed into textile villages, and seven have been reacquired.

Additionally, nine mills were handed over to workers and employees, while 12 were sold through tenders. Between 1977 and 1987, 30 mills were returned to their previous owners, and seven were sold through liquidation. Three mills exist only on paper with no physical assets, according to BTMC officials.

Financial data reveals that BTMC-controlled textile mills generated Tk 61.92 million in the fiscal year 2022-23, compared to Tk 68.76 million in the fiscal year 2021-22.