Apparel summit in Dhaka on Saturday
The second Dhaka Apparel Summit will be held in the capital on Saturday to discuss the future roadmap of the country's main export earning sector.
Speakers from home and abroad will talk about business policy and the environment, responsible sourcing and the apparel sector's transformation at the daylong summit at Sonargaon Hotel.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the event.
The event will also highlight the achievements the sector has made in the last three and a half decades, said Siddiqur Rahman, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
Bangladesh made foray into the apparel business in January 1980 with the first shipment of just 1.2 lakh pieces of boy's shirts to German company MNR.
Currently, Bangladesh holds nearly 6 percent of the $450 billion global garment trade, standing just behind China in the export earnings rankings. In 2015-16, Bangladesh shipped clothing items worth $28.09 billion, up 10.42 percent year-on-year.
Rahman said the summit will also highlight the progress on factory inspection and the overall improvement in case of workplace safety since the Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013.
At the summit, the sector people will discuss issues related to achieving the $50 billion garment export target by 2021 when the country will celebrate its 50th year of Independence.
The sector needs a lot of investment, adequate supply of gas and power and improvements in infrastructure to reach the target in time, Rahman said.
Garment accounts for more than 80 percent of the country's annual exports. The overseas sales need to grow by 12.25 percent per annum to reach the goal.
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