EPB, BBC tie up to facilitate Bangladeshi cos

Ismail Hossain | Published: May 31, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

A France-based business consultancy in association with the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) of Bangladesh is going to help Bangladeshi apparel makers participate in a Paris textile fair scheduled for September.
Bangladesh Business Consulting (BBC), headed by a Bangladeshi-French businessman, is offering half price for the stall allotment and accommodation, ticketing, transportation, foods, logistics and meetings with buyers for the textile makers during the fair. Â
The arrangement would be provided under an agreement signed between the EPB and BBC. If any apparel maker attends the fair almost half the cost would be borne by EPB and BBC jointly.
"We have big establishments in Paris and to support prospective Bangladeshi participants â€¦ We've already booked 50 stalls for the Texworld 2014," said Chairman of BBC Kazi Enayet Ullah.
Texworld is an international trade fair for the textile industry and will be held in Le Bourget at the Parc d'Expositions of Paris for four days beginning from September 15. With exhibitors from around the world this fair has now become an indispensable business platform in the industry.
One has to pay 7,000 Euro for a stall in Texworld if he or she wants to attend individually, but EPB and BBC cut it by half, Bangladeshi companies can book a stall at 3,500 Euro now. Â
The minimum cost of stall, accommodation, food, travel, and other things will be 10,000 to 11,500 Euros for an individual. But BBC's cost will be 7,000 Euro for everything during fair that includes ticket, travel, accommodation, hiring interpreter, stall etc.
Speaking to this correspondent at his office in Dhaka on Thursday, Mr Ullah said Bangladeshi readymade garments (RMG) producers need to build network worldwide directly rather than receiving orders through intermediaries.
"The fair is a perfect global platform for building such connections and to understand the latest trend in fashion and textile sector. If our garment producers do not know the latest things they will remain mere tailors," he said.
In the past fair, some 8,000 global buyers attended and 30,000 visitors have visited Texworld, but a handful of Bangladeshi textile manufacturers attended there.
"So, we made this arrangement with the fair authority to encourage Bangladeshi participants," he said.
An official of EPB said Bangladeshi businessmen show interest to visit the fair, which is a single country focus and authority is Bangladeshi. Many unscrupulous businessmen traffic human in the name of visiting such fairs. To stop this unethical practice, EPB made such arrangements.
He said Texworld serves as a perfect forum for discussion about the fashion and garment industry for the professionals and relevant industry players.
This four day event gives them an opportunity to enhance their knowledge about the sector and get latest and updated information about the latest trends and new products that have been produced for the benefit of the industry.
"It helps the exhibitors to enhance their brand image and network with the attendees in order to expand their business opportunities and prospects significantly. This is the largest exhibition that focuses on the textile industry and provides an in depth understanding about it among all its visitors," he added.
Mr Ullah is the founder of BBC, where professionals of different nationalities along with some Paris-based Bangladeshi businessmen and professionals get together to promote Bangladesh and its business. The team includes barristers, finance experts, journalists, foreign trade experts and chartered accountants.
He said the consulting and promotional business project started to help build business communications between Bangladeshi exporters and importers from other parts of the world, especially Europe.
BBC regularly arranges meetings between Bangladeshi exporters and importers from anywhere.