Dhaka: 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. According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, 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 event will showcase state-of-the-art textile and apparel machinery, artificial intelligence (AI)-based manufacturing technologies, automatio n solutions, sustainable production practices, and emerging global fashion trends. The MoU outlines the formation of a 10-member joint organising committee, consisting of five representatives from each organisation, to 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 emphasised the initiative's broader impact beyond organising a machinery exhibition, highlighting its potential to create 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. He stressed that the exhibition would serve as an opportunity for collaboration to sustain global competitiveness, despite efforts by competitors to c reate misunderstandings within the industry. Highlighting the sector's long-term vision, Khan reiterated the industry's ambition to raise Bangladesh's readymade garment exports to US$100 billion while significantly increasing domestic value addition. He also proposed encouraging international machinery suppliers to manufacture textile machinery spare parts in Bangladesh, noting the high import duties on spare parts that increase production costs. Additionally, he suggested establishing a joint arbitration mechanism to resolve disputes between yarn manufacturers and garment exporters. BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell noted that 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. He highlighted the exhibition's role in providing entrepreneurs with direct access to the latest global technologies without the need to travel abroad. Former BGMEA President Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez described the partnership as a historic milestone for Bangladesh's textile and apparel industries. He highlighted the critical challenges facing Bangladesh, 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. Industry leaders expressed confidence that the joint initiative would accelerate technology transfer, promote innovation, attract investment, strengthen workforce skills, and expand international trade partnerships, positioning Bangladesh as a globally recognised hub for sustainable textile and apparel manufacturing.
