BGMEA, BTMA Join Forces to Organise BITMA Exhibition

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly organise the Bangladesh International Textile and Apparel Machinery Exhibition (BITMA).

The exhibition will mark a significant step toward strengthening the country's textile and apparel industry through technology, innovation and closer industry collaboration.

The MoU was signed at a ceremony held at the Gulshan Club in the capital, with BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell and BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan signing on behalf of their respective organisations.

Under the agreement, the two apex trade bodies will jointly organise the international exhibition in Dhaka with the support of a reputed international exhibition management company.

The exhibition will showcase state-of-the-art textile and apparel machinery, artificial intelligence (AI)-based manufacturing technologies, automation solutions, sustainable production practices and emerging global fashion trends.

According to the MoU, a 10-member joint organising committee, comprising five representatives from each organisation, will oversee the strategic planning, management and financial transparency of the exhibition.

The chairmanship of the committee will rotate annually, with BTMA chairing the inaugural edition and BGMEA serving as co-chair. The agreement also provides for the sharing of the exhibition's net profit on a mutually agreed basis.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan said the initiative would go far beyond organising a machinery exhibition, creating a long-term platform for BTMA and BGMEA to work together in the greater interest of the country's economy and the textile and apparel sector.

"The exhibition will not remain confined to buying advanced machinery. Rather, it will serve as an opportunity for BGMEA and BTMA to work together for the country's economic interest and the sustainable development of the sector," he said.

Quoting the saying, "United we stand, divided we fall," Mahmud said Bangladesh's competitors often try to create misunderstandings within the industry, but stressed that the country's textile and garment sectors must remain united to sustain their global competitiveness.

He said the two organisations had already been working together on several policy issues, including efforts to make the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) more investment-friendly and industry-friendly.

Highlighting the sector's long-term vision, the BGMEA president reiterated the industry's ambition to raise Bangladesh's readymade garment exports to US$100 billion while significantly increasing domestic value addition.

"We do not want to achieve US$100 billion in exports with only around US$5 billion in value addition. We want at least US$20 billion and onwards in value addition," he said, stressing that such a target would require a stronger backward linkage industry, particularly the spinning and textile sectors.

Mahmud also proposed encouraging international machinery suppliers to manufacture textile machinery spare parts in Bangladesh instead of only exporting equipment, noting that high import duties on spare parts substantially increase production costs.

He further suggested establishing a joint arbitration mechanism to resolve recurring disputes between yarn manufacturers and garment exporters over supply contracts.

BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell said the association's biennial textile machinery exhibition, previously known as DTG, would become a larger, more meaningful and internationally recognised event through the partnership with BGMEA.

"We organise this fair every two years. It has already established itself as a successful event where the latest textile machinery and advanced technologies are showcased. This time we are making it stronger through joint collaboration," he said.

Russell noted that BTMA and BGMEA had been working together for nearly a decade with a shared objective of strengthening Bangladesh's textile and apparel sector. He said the exhibition would provide entrepreneurs with direct access to the latest global technologies without having to travel abroad.

"In the past, we had to travel to Italy to attend ITMA and witness the latest technologies. Now those technologies are coming to our doorstep through our own exhibition," he added.

Former BGMEA President Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez described the partnership as a historic "milestone" for Bangladesh's textile and apparel industries.

He said Bangladesh faces critical challenges, including graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category, changes in the global trading environment and the need for greater product and market diversification. Strengthening cooperation between BTMA and BGMEA, he said, would help formulate unified policy proposals, strengthen backward linkage industries and improve the country's preparedness for post-LDC trade requirements, including compliance with GSP Plus rules of origin.

Former BTMA President A Matin Chowdhury, former BTMA Vice President Abdullah Al Mamun and BGMEA Vice President Md. Mijanur Rahman also spoke.

Industry leaders expressed confidence that the joint initiative would accelerate technology transfer, promote innovation, attract investment, strengthen workforce skills and expand international trade partnerships, while helping position Bangladesh as a globally recognised hub for sustainable textile and apparel manufacturing.