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The first ever such convention themed
'2005…Market Turmoil…are we ready?' was
organized jointly by Cotton Bangladesh, a global
cotton and textile magazine and GLOBECOT, a
US-based cotton research organization, October
13, 2004 at the Sonargaon Pan pacific Hotel in
Dhaka. The objective of the event was to create
a platform for discussing issues and concerns
that have relevance to the entire textile sector
of the country, particularly in relation to
post-quota era and cotton market volatility.
More than a hundred representatives from the
spinning, cotton, garment and textile industries
of Bangladesh participated in the convention.
Representatives from the USA, the United
Kingdom, Switzerland, Singapore, India, China
and Australia also attended the occasion. The
heads of the three important trade bodies in the
textile and apparel sector BGMEA, BTMA and BKMEA
actively participated in the convention. The
convention was divided into three parts, the
inaugural session and two technical sessions
following it. The chief guest at the convention
was Mr. Shajahan Siraj, Minister for Jute &
Textiles of the Government of People's Republic
of Bangladesh.
 Mr. Shajahan Siraj, Minister for Jute &
Textiles, while inaugurating the convention said
that backward linkage is the answer to many of
the problems being apprehended. He assured that
the Government of Bangladesh will provide
incentives in the form of helping in procurement
of industrial plot in the EPZ or in Industrial
Park and ensuring other infrastructure
facilities to encourage local and foreign
investment in the textile sector.
The inaugural session saw participation of
eminent guest speakers like Mr. M.A. Awal,
President of BTMA (Bangladesh Textile Mills
Association), Mr. Annisul Huq, President of
BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and
Exporters Association), Mr. M.A. Hashem (Member
of the Parliament, People's Republic of
Bangladesh), Chairman, Amber Cotton Mills and
Mr. Abdul Hai Sarker, Managing Director,
Shohagpur Textile.
The
convener of the conference, Dr. Quamrul Ahsan,
Editor-in-Chief, Cotton Bangladesh during his
welcome address in the inaugural session urged
the need for a common platform for all textile
associations to discuss issues of common
interest.
Although the BTMA and BGMEA to some extent
apparently stand at loggerheads but presidents
of both of the associations in the conference
shared their common thoughts and opined for
strong backward linkages industries. The
President of BGMEA however, stressed on
short-term strategies like Central Bonded
Warehouse and Clarification of Rules of Origin
for the EU market to successfully handle the
probable problems the country would face in the
post MFA era.
Mr. Bob Antoshak President of GLOBECOT, during
his keynote presentation on “Challenges for
Bangladesh” provided a complete picture on world
textile, its trends and possible consequences of
WTO and post MFA phase, highlighting
Bangladesh's role and scope within it.
 During the technical sessions, presentations
from the speakers from home and abroad provided
in depth analysis of issues related to Cotton
and Textile. The presentations were: 'Overview
of Textile Industry in Bangladesh' by Mr. Meer
Tabarak Hussain, Executive Director, Padma
Textiles; 'WTO and its Implications' by Dr.
Ananya Raihan, Research Fellow, Center for
Policy Dialogue; 'Managing Post MFA Challenges'
by Md. Fazlul Hoque, President, Bangladesh
Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters
Association; 'Dynamics of Cotton Market' by Mr.
Tapan Chowdhury, Managing Director, Square
Textiles Ltd.; 'Strategy of Cotton Procurement'
by Mr. Sultan Ahmed, Director, Prime Textiles
Ltd.; 'Market Trends and Risk Management' by Mr.
Jean-Louis Simons, Ecom Switzerland; 'Cotton
Pricing Strategies for Today's Changing Market'
by Mr. Chris Wyrick, Jess Smith, USA; 'Risk
Analysis' by Mr. Sandeep Hota, Olam, Singapore;
'FiberMax-An Alternative to Expensive Growths'
by Mr. Brent Crossland, Bayer CropScience and
'Cotton Futures & Options' by Mr. Michael Ford
from Goenka, Australia.
While making their deliberations, a number of
speakers stressed on developing cooperative
relationship among the stakeholders of the
entire textile sector. The speakers commended
Cotton Bangladesh and GLOBECOT for organizing a
convention that brought the different bodies
together to discuss relevant and important
issues.
The presentations of different speakers and the
discussion that ensued highlighted some relevant
issues for the textile industries and cotton
market of Bangladesh. It was strongly felt that
professionals in this sector would benefit from
skill enhancement on analyzing trends of the
international market. Skill development in
accessing and thereby reducing risks while
taking procurement decisions, particularly for
cotton, was an expressed need. Detailed
information of LCA regulation was also a felt
need.
As an effort to meet the need of timely and
strategic information for the textile sector,
Cotton Bangladesh and GLOBECOT announced that a
weekly newsletter on cotton, textile and apparel
would be published regularly. A MOU between the
two organizations was also signed during the
convention. ¨
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