The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen Bangladesh’s textile and ready-made garment sectors on the global stage. BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell and BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan signed for their respective organizations at an event at Gulshan Club in the capital on Tuesday. The initiative is linked to Bangladesh’s goal of reaching $100 billion in exports.

The organizations plan to hold the Bangladesh International Textile and Apparel Machinery Exhibition, or BITMA, with support from an internationally reputed event organizer. The stated aims are to improve global competitiveness, advance technology-driven modernization and expand into new markets. Stakeholders said the effort would bring together automation, artificial intelligence, advanced technology and sustainable fashion.

A 10-member joint committee, with five representatives from each organization, will oversee exhibition management, strategic decisions and financial transparency. Its chairmanship will rotate annually between the two bodies; BTMA will appoint the chair and BGMEA the co-chair in the first year. Leaders said the platform could support technology transfer, foreign investment, skills development and new global commercial networks.