[🇧🇩] Textile & RMG Industry of Bangladesh

[Saif]

RMG sector pays tribute to Rakib

The readymade garment (RMG) sector bid a heartfelt farewell to Abdullah Hil Rakib, founder and managing director of Team Group, at the BGMEA Complex in Uttara, Dhaka, before he was laid to rest at the BAF Shaheen graveyard on Saturday. A stalwart of the industry for over three decades, Rakib died i

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RMG sector pays tribute to Rakib

FE REPORT
Published :
Jun 15, 2025 09:37
Updated :
Jun 15, 2025 09:37

The readymade garment (RMG) sector bid a heartfelt farewell to Abdullah Hil Rakib, founder and managing director of Team Group, at the BGMEA Complex in Uttara, Dhaka, before he was laid to rest at the BAF Shaheen graveyard on Saturday. A stalwart of the industry for over three decades, Rakib died in a boating accident in Canada on June 8.

At the farewell ceremony, industry leaders gathered to honour his legacy and pledge to carry forward his unfinished dreams, particularly his vision of reaching $100 billion in RMG exports.

Former BGMEA president Faruque Hassan reflected on Rakib's lifelong dedication to family, business, and the RMG sector. "Rakib was always the first to step forward in times of crisis," he said.

Rakib served as a senior vice president of BGMEA and was deeply involved in the growth of Bangladesh's apparel sector. Md. Abul Kalam, Managing Director of Chaity Group, highlighted Rakib's ambition to elevate Bangladesh's apparel exports to $100 billion, committing to making that dream a reality.

Former BGMEA president SM Fazlul Hoque called Rakib a "shining light" with many dreams, while Quazi Moniruzzaman, another past president, praised Rakib for creating countless job opportunities.

Rakib's vision extended beyond business, including skills development, design, sustainability and branding Bangladesh globally. Asif Ashraf, Managing Director of Urmi Group, paid tribute to Rakib's vision for the nation's collective progress and better governance.

The ceremony was attended by Rakib's grieving family, including his wife Afroza Shaheen and children Mahir Daiyan and Lamia Tabassum. In a tearful tribute, Lamia pledged to fulfil her father's legacy.

Rakib's body was brought back to Dhaka on Friday night, and the first namaz-e-janaza was held at the BGMEA Complex on Saturday morning, followed by a second prayer after Zuhr at Banani DOHS. He was laid to rest at the BAF Shaheen graveyard. Rakib and his close friend Captain Md. Saifuzzaman Guddu of Biman Bangladesh Airlines died in the same boating accident in Canada.

Rakib is survived by his wife and two children. His family have been residing in Toronto for the children's education. Rakib had travelled to Canada to celebrate Eid with his family when the accident occurred.​

 

[Saif]

BGMEA signs MoU with Textilepages to enhance access to international buyers

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Textilepages.com, a global B2B platform, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sunday at the former’s Uttara office in the city. This partnership aims to empower BGMEA member factories, particularly small and

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

BGMEA signs MoU with Textilepages to enhance access to international buyers

FE ONLINE REPORT
Published :
Jun 15, 2025 20:44
Updated :
Jun 15, 2025 20:44

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Textilepages.com, a global B2B platform, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sunday at the former’s Uttara office in the city.

This partnership aims to empower BGMEA member factories, particularly small and medium-sized exporters, by enhancing their digital presence and enabling direct access to international buyers free of charge, according to a statement.

Under the agreement, BGMEA members will gain access to key features of Textilepages.com, a leading global B2B platform dedicated to the textile and apparel industry.

It supports the broader mission of increasing Bangladesh’s export potential through digital transformation and global visibility.

Md Anwar Hossain, the administrator of BGMEA, said, “In today’s global market, digital visibility is essential for growth. This partnership will help our members, especially SMEs, connect with buyers worldwide and showcase the strength of Bangladesh’s apparel industry.”

Rahman Rob Bhuiyan, founder of Textilepages.com, BGMEA vice presidents Inamul Haq Khan Bablu and Shehab Udduza Chowdhury, among others, were also present.​

 

[Saif]

BGMEA, Swisscontact join forces

The apparel apex body, BGMEA and Swisscontact have joined forces to drive sustainable and inclusive transformation in the country’s readymade garments (RMG) sector. In this connection, Swisscontact and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Sunday signed a Memo

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BGMEA, Swisscontact join forces

FE ONLINE REPORT
Published :
Jun 15, 2025 20:19
Updated :
Jun 15, 2025 20:19

The apparel apex body, BGMEA and Swisscontact have joined forces to drive sustainable and inclusive transformation in the country’s readymade garments (RMG) sector.

In this connection, Swisscontact and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Sunday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the trade body’s headquarters in Uttara in the city, according to a statement.

The MoU formalises collaboration under three flagship projects implemented by Swisscontact – PROGRESS (Promoting Green Growth in the RMG Sector through Skills), InSPIRE (Initiative to Stimulate Private Investment for Resource Efficiency) and BYETS (Building Youth Employability through Skills).

The first two projects are funded by the Embassy of Sweden and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), while the third is funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands.

The MoU brings together BGMEA’s industry reach and Swisscontact’s development expertise to collaborate and promote sustainability, focusing on skills development for women and youth, environmental and social compliance, clean energy adoption, and joint outreach to support factory-level transformation in the RMG sector, added the statement.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ikramul H Sohel, Senior Programme Officer – Inclusive Economic Development of the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka, said, “The Swedish government prioritises empowering MSMEs and advancing gender equality within the RMG sector. We believe this partnership between Swisscontact and BGMEA will bring these priorities to life by catalysing meaningful, long-term change that benefits both workers and businesses.”

BGMEA Administrator Anwar Hossain said, “This MoU reflects our commitment to strengthening Bangladesh’s RMG sector by enhancing competitiveness through innovation, workforce development, and sustainability. We look forward to working with Swisscontact to create tangible impact across the industry.”

“We are excited to join hands with BGMEA to scale our efforts in making the RMG sector more resilient, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable,” said Ishrat Fatema, Deputy Country Director of Swisscontact Bangladesh.

BGMEA's newly elected senior vice president Inamul Haq Khan Bablu and its Support Committee members Asif Ashraf and ANM Saifuddin were also present there.​

 

[Saif]

Iran-Israel conflict may affect Bangladesh’s RMG sector: BGMEA president

The ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel might affect the country’s readymade garment business as the global prices of oil could rise due to the war, causing a hike in operational costs locally. “The Iran-Israel war could be a new challenge for the local garment industry, that coul

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Iran-Israel conflict may affect Bangladesh’s RMG sector: BGMEA president

FE ONLINE REPORT
Published :
Jun 16, 2025 19:48
Updated :
Jun 16, 2025 19:48

The ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel might affect the country’s readymade garment business as the global prices of oil could rise due to the war, causing a hike in operational costs locally.

“The Iran-Israel war could be a new challenge for the local garment industry, that could result in a rise in global oil prices. And sustaining the competitiveness amid such a situation could be very challenging,” Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu, the newly elected president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said on Monday.

He made the remark at the charge handover ceremony of the BGMEA held at its Uttara office in the city.

The newly elected BGMEA board of directors, led by its president Mahmud Hasan Khan, took charge of the trade body for the term of 2025-2027.​

 

[Saif]

Most of the RMG factories were closed before August 5: Dr Sakhawat

Labour and Employment Adviser Brig Gen (Retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hossain on Wednesday said some garments factories experienced closures before last year’s August 5 although it was often mentioned that these closures were taken place after August 5. “The owners of these garments factories to

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Most of the RMG factories were closed before August 5: Dr Sakhawat

UNB
Published :
Jun 25, 2025 19:44
Updated :
Jun 25, 2025 19:44

Labour and Employment Adviser Brig Gen (Retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hossain on Wednesday said some garments factories experienced closures before last year’s August 5 although it was often mentioned that these closures were taken place after August 5.

“The owners of these garments factories took huge loans from the banks but they did not pay the salaries and dues of the employees timely,” he said while talking to journalists after attending a seminar at Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC).

The Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur, organized the seminar with the participation of military officers of different ranks from 24 countries.

The adviser said that the owners of these garments have taken loans ranging from Tk 2 billion to Tk 3 billion from banks and most of them are now defaulters. Now, the banks are not giving more loans to them as they did not refund the money timely, Dr Sakhawat said.

Most of the owners of these garments have already left the country due to their own crisis as they ran their business with political connections, he added.

Replying to another question, Dr Sakhawat claimed that most of the employees of recently closed Beximco Group have already joined different factories across the country including Chattogram.​