Garment exporters have planned to bring together manufacturers, global brands, retailers, investors, experts and policymakers at a platform this year to help expedite export.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has planned to hold a 3-day long Apparel Summit in Dhaka in December instead of its regular event 'BATEXPO' in December this year.
A large number Representatives from Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, McKinsey & Company, Li & Fung, Sears and Harvard University, among others, have confirmed their presence during the summit.
During the summit, the BGMEA has also a plan to showcase progress in working conditions after the Rana Plaza building collapse.
The BGMEA has also planned to prepare a roadmap through the summit to fetch $50 billion from apparel exports by 2021.
"The major objective of organising this event is to develop an effective roadmap to help increase earnings from RMG export to $50 billion by 2021 when the country will be celebrating golden jubilee of independence," Md. Atiqul Islam, president of BGMEA, said.
The BGMEA president, also said the country's garment industry has upgraded its working environment like safety and wages in the aftermath of the deadliest incidents like Rana Plaza collapse which our overseas partners should know.
"Our improvements would be demonstrated to them during the summit. Besides, different factories would also be visited by foreign importers," he added.
President of the Exporters Association of Bangladesh Abdus Salam Murshedi said the country has already fulfilled almost all the conditions charted in the US Action Plan and the Sustainability Compact signed with the EU which the global retailers would realise after the summit.
"We had little compliance when the garment sector started in Bangladesh in early 1980s, but with the growth of the sector, the compliance has improved," he added.
However, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), export earnings from RMG sector stood at nearly $30 billion at the end of the 2013-14 financial year.
BGMEA leaders expect that the earnings would increase substantially in the coming years with coordinated efforts to develop further the country's premier foreign exchange-earning sector.
Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (a group of North American apparel companies), GTZ (German Technical Co-operation) and American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) will be providing necessary support to the BGMEA to organise the event.
During the summit, the BGMEA will organise 'Apparel Summit 2014', Alliance 'Bangladesh Building and Fire Safety Expo 2014' and AAFA 'International Product Safety and Environmental Conference 2014'. GTZ will also hand over the Best Factory SEE (Social and Environmental Excellence) Award 2014.
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