Two-day Meet Bangladesh Exposition begins in Dhaka

Commerce Advisor Sheikh Bashir Uddin inaugurates the fair

The “Meet Bangladesh Exposition”, a two-day international exhibition on export potential organised by the EC4J Project (Export Competitiveness for Jobs) under the commerce ministry, has begun in Dhaka.

The curtain of the exhibition rose with the participation of international sourcing agents and buyers at the capital’s International Convention City Bashundhara on Thursday morning.

Commerce Advisor Sheikh Bashir Uddin inaugurated the fair.

He said, "We all know that our exports depend a lot on a single product. And we should diversify the exports. We need to utilise our growing population for sustainable economic growth by eliminating corruption and increasing transparency."

"Our BIDA (Bangladesh Investment Development Authority) recently organised a successful international conference to increase investment in Bangladesh. We talked about our capabilities and opportunities there.

"I pay my sincere respect to the entrepreneurs who have brought Bangladesh to this stage despite many obstacles and who have brought their products to showcase here. I invite foreign investors to take advantage of the investment opportunities in Bangladesh."

He continued, "As you know, we recently had an issue with our transhipment, and you will be delighted to know that we overcame the crisis very smoothly. Many thought that this would hurt our exports, but nothing like that happened. Rather our export costs will drop further.

"I assure maximum support from the ministry to you (investors). Inform us about your problems. We will help you and work together. I will always be at your service."

Later, he inaugurated the exhibition by cutting a ribbon. He visited stalls and interacted with the participants afterwards.

The exhibition aims to showcase Bangladesh's potential export sectors such as leather, footwear, MPPE, plastics and light engineering products.

According to the organisers, more than 120 companies from these sectors are exhibiting their products at the exhibition.

Under one roof, more than 25 international sourcing agents and buyers from more than nine countries such as Singapore, Libya, Colombia, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, India, Bhutan, Maldives and Malaysia, more than 1,000 local buyers, and more than 120 Bangladeshi manufacturing companies are getting the opportunity to connect B2B (business-to-business) and network with each other.

Bangladeshi manufacturers are getting the opportunity to directly engage with international buyers, sourcing agents, investors and sectoral leaders to expand their business in the fair.

At the end of the exhibition, international sourcing agents and buyers will visit a number of industrial plants manufacturing Bangladeshi products. The organisers expect that this will help to promote Bangladesh's export sector and increase foreign investment in the country.

In addition, the exposition will also feature sector-based breakout sessions, workshops and talks attended by industry experts and business leaders.

The EC4J Project also aims to directly contribute to achieving the Bangladesh government's policy goal of export diversification beyond the ready-made garment (RMG) sector, the organisers said.

At the same time, increasing the competitiveness of the relevant sectors and ensuring economic diversification will ensure the country's export earnings and stability and create employment opportunities within the country.

The organisers also expressed hope that the project initiatives would help deal with the economic adversities of the future.

The two-day exhibition will continue until Friday. It is open to the public from 10am to 7pm.