The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have announced a collaboration to host an annual international exhibition in Dhaka, featuring the latest advancements in the textile and apparel industry. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) for this initiative was signed by BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell and BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan at the Gulshan Club in Dhaka.
The upcoming event, named the Bangladesh International Textile and Apparel Machinery Exhibition (BITMA), is set to take place in Dhaka each year, jointly managed by both associations and with the assistance of renowned international exhibition organizers.
Showkat emphasized the interconnectedness of the textile and garment sectors, highlighting the exhibition as a pivotal platform for technological progress, foreign investment attraction, and skill development. He expressed that bringing leading global technology suppliers to Dhaka would give local manufacturers a competitive edge on the global stage.
The organizers anticipate that the exhibition will play a role in supporting Bangladesh’s goal of reaching $100 billion in exports. Mahmud stressed the importance of a robust domestic textile industry in achieving this target, emphasizing the need for significant value addition through a strong backward linkage industry, particularly in spinning and textiles.
While acknowledging existing differences between the two associations, Mahmud stated their commitment to resolving disputes through constructive dialogue. The collaborative effort aims to modernize Bangladesh’s textile and garment sector by promoting advanced machinery, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, sustainable manufacturing practices, and innovation.
The exhibition is envisioned as a platform for global machinery manufacturers, technology providers, investors, and fashion industry stakeholders to engage with Bangladeshi manufacturers, fostering technology transfer, business collaborations, skill enhancement, and international trade partnerships. Per the MoU, a 10-member joint organizing committee comprising five representatives from each association will oversee the exhibition’s planning and management to ensure collective decision-making and financial transparency. The committee’s chairmanship will alternate annually between BTMA and BGMEA, with a BTMA representative leading in the inaugural year and a co-chair appointed by BGMEA.