Starting its journey in 1983, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is the prime trade association representing the Ready–Made Garments (RMG) Sector of Bangladesh. The Association is mostly known as BGMEA in Bangladesh. BGMEA has been playing a very significant role to ensure a safer and sustainable garment industry in Bangladesh. Apparently, BGMEA is a common platform of garment manufacturers and exporters of Bangladesh. It outstandingly contributes for empowering women, creating jobs (nearly 4.0 million people are employed in this sector), and alleviating poverty in Bangladesh.
Since inception Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is dedicated to:
- promote and facilitate the readymade garment industry of Bangladesh,
- maintain close relationship with foreign buyers, business organizations and chambers,
- play a vital role in formulating policies for this sector,
- provide support & protect its members’ rights,
- ensure workers’ rights and social compliance at factories,
- organize workshops, seminars, and training programs,
- promote educational programs & other facilities under its regulation and other medium for RMG sector,
- keep database of the garment workers, and other readymade garment sector’s information,
BGMEA is run by a Board of Directors consist of 27 members elected for a two-year term, and the President is the highest executive authority of this association.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is the only recognized trade body that represents all the export oriented garment manufacturers and exporters of the country.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is the officially recognized apex apparel export trade body of 4,490 apparel manufacturing units.
The RMG sector earned over US$ 9 billion in 2006. The BGMEA helps to drive commerce by increasing sales of Bangladeshi-produced garments and pursues excellence in the Bangladeshi readymade garments (RMG) sector through its activities and programmers, including establishing and nurturing relationships with foreign buyers, businesses and trade associations, organizations, chambers, and research organizations.
The BGMEA also acts as a pressure group to protect the interests of the RMG sector and acts as a facilitator of trade negotiations with global trade bodies such as the WTO, ILO, and UNCTAD.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is the officially recognized apex apparel export trade body of 4,490 apparel manufacturing units.
The RMG sector earned over US$ 9 billion in 2006. The BGMEA helps to drive commerce by increasing sales of Bangladeshi-produced garments and pursues excellence in the Bangladeshi readymade garments (RMG) sector through its activities and programmers, including establishing and nurturing relationships with foreign buyers, businesses and trade associations, organizations, chambers, and research organizations.
The BGMEA also acts as a pressure group to protect the interests of the RMG sector and acts as a facilitator of trade negotiations with global trade bodies such as the WTO, ILO, and UNCTAD.
A Success Story of RMG Sector:
The importance of RMG sector can hardly be over emphasized. There has been a steady growth in the field of RMG during last two decades. The RMG industry enjoyed a meteoric rise from 30 enterprises in 1980 increased to about 5700 in 2011-12 fiscal year. The growth of the industry in terms of number of units and employment generation is shown in table - 1 below:
Year
|
Number of Garment Factories
|
Employment in Million Workers
|
1983-84
|
134
|
0.040
|
1984-85
|
384
|
0.115
|
1985-86
|
594
|
0.198
|
1986-87
|
629
|
0.283
|
1987-88
|
685
|
0.306
|
1988-89
|
725
|
0.317
|
1989-90
|
759
|
0.335
|
1990-91
|
834
|
0.402
|
1991-92
|
1163
|
0.582
|
1992-93
|
1537
|
0.804
|
1993-94
|
1839
|
0.827
|
1994-95
|
2182
|
1.200
|
1995-96
|
2353
|
1.290
|
1996-97
|
2503
|
1.300
|
1997-98
|
2726
|
1.500
|
1998-99
|
2963
|
1.500
|
1999-2000
|
3200
|
1.600
|
2000-2001
|
3480
|
1.800
|
2001-2002
|
3618
|
1.800
|
2002-2003
|
3760
|
2.000
|
2003-2004
|
3957
|
2.000
|
2004-2005
|
4107
|
2.000
|
2005-2006
|
4220
|
2.200
|
2006-2007
|
4490
|
2.400
|
2007-2008
|
4743
|
2.800
|
2008-2009
|
4925
|
3.500
|
2009-2010
|
5063
|
3.600
|
2010-2011
|
5150
|
3.600
|
| 2011-2012 | 5700 | 4.000 |
Main Functions of BGMEA:
BGMEA is being run by a 27-member elected Board of Directors. Four Vice Presidents having important portfolios, along with a secretariat of experienced officials, assists the Board in formulating and executing vital policies and programs of the organization. The President is the highest executive authority of the BGMEA.
The fundamental objective of BGMEA is to establish a healthy business environment for a close and mutually beneficial relationship between the manufacturers, exporters and importers in the process ensuring a steady growth in the foreign exchange earnings of the country. BGMEA issues UD to its exporters thereby monitors export as well. BGMEA plays a very strong role to lead the industry in concurrence with the government. The following are the regular activities of BGMEA for its members, apparel buyers and other partners.
The fundamental objective of BGMEA is to establish a healthy business environment for a close and mutually beneficial relationship between the manufacturers, exporters and importers in the process ensuring a steady growth in the foreign exchange earnings of the country. BGMEA issues UD to its exporters thereby monitors export as well. BGMEA plays a very strong role to lead the industry in concurrence with the government. The following are the regular activities of BGMEA for its members, apparel buyers and other partners.
· To Protect and uphold the interest of the industry by aiding the formulation of government policies consistent with a congenial growth of the sector.
· Committed to protect the interests of its members and their employees by implementing legitimate rights and privileges for garments workers.
· To negotiate and consult with foreign and local agencies to promote the garments sector in every possible fields.
· To maintain liaisons with foreign buyers, business associations and chambers.
· To provide foreign buyers with all necessary information regarding all issues concerned with the RMG sector.
· BGMEA brings the opportunities for local manufacturers to interact with foreign buyers and form new rapport by arranging different apparel fairs at home and abroad.
· To keep the BGMEA factories child labor free through continued monitoring.
· Continue and expand collaboration with relevant Ministries of the Governments.
· Continue educational support to workers’ children and make a provision for skill training for children removed from the BGMEA’s member factories.
· Provides information services to its members by publishing monthly newsletters, issuance of circulars and through Dhaka's first B2B web portal, which directly links exporters and buyers around the world.
· BGMEA also established its own Institute called "BGMEA Institute of Fashion & Technology (BIFT)" in 2000. Till the day BIFT is continuously developing professionals for this sector through the courses of Fashion Designing and Garment Merchandising; and other certificate, diploma and short courses. Transforming it into University is under process.
· Promotes computer-oriented solutions for better management to its member units.
· Participate actively in all trade negotiations for the sector in order to get easier market access and GSP benefits.
· BGMEA's appointed lobbyist firm has been working to get duty free access in the US market.
· BGMEA has introduced Service Books for each and every workers employed in the factories.
· BGMEA is going to launch a workers welfare committee in the factories.
· BGMEA has ensured the minimum wage implementation to the tune of 99.99% of all factories.
· BMGEA has set up a Crisis Management Committee for emergencies.
· BGMEA regularly helps out the victims of natural calamity by providing relief, rehabilitation and other support. BGMEA stood beside the SIDR affected people with huge relief and support. BGMEA also rehabilitated 100 families by establishing a weaver's village (Taath Palli) in Manikgonj.
· BGMEA provides scholarship to meritorious children of the garments workers. Each year 2000 students are getting the scholarships at Dhaka and Chittagong.
· BGMEA runs training programs through 27 TechnicalTrainingCenters and 3 other centers with the objective of producing skilled workers for the RMG sector. More than 15000 trainees will be shaped up through this program and BGMEA will appoint them in the factories. BGMEA has trained and employed 15,000 people till the date.
· BGMEA is in the process of taking over 34 vocational training centers to provide various skill sets to the unemployed.
· BGMEA regularly conducts fire drills and fire safety program at the member factories. Although 9 fire incidents took place in 2010, there were no casualties.
· BGMEA runs 12 medical centers for its workers and provides HIV/AIDS awareness. Around 6 million workers have already received medical treatment and 80,000 workers have been made aware of HIV/AIDS and reproductive health.
· BGMEA is going to develop a central database system for the garment workers, which will cover all workers' information of the readymade garment sector.
· BGMEA is going to start a UD automation system to speed up custom procedures. Such online system will bring dynamism in a way that reduces lengthiness in custom procedures.
· BGMEA has distributed essential food items among workers at subsidized price during the last Ramadan through 12 centers at Dhaka and Chittagong.
· A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between BGMEA and IFC-SEDF on 17th June 2008 to monitor occupational safety and health status of the workers employed in the member factories of BGMEA operating at Dhaka. Under this program all the running factories at Dhaka have already been audited by the social compliance monitors of BGMEA and a database in being prepared.
· Committed to protect the interests of its members and their employees by implementing legitimate rights and privileges for garments workers.
· To negotiate and consult with foreign and local agencies to promote the garments sector in every possible fields.
· To maintain liaisons with foreign buyers, business associations and chambers.
· To provide foreign buyers with all necessary information regarding all issues concerned with the RMG sector.
· BGMEA brings the opportunities for local manufacturers to interact with foreign buyers and form new rapport by arranging different apparel fairs at home and abroad.
· To keep the BGMEA factories child labor free through continued monitoring.
· Continue and expand collaboration with relevant Ministries of the Governments.
· Continue educational support to workers’ children and make a provision for skill training for children removed from the BGMEA’s member factories.
· Provides information services to its members by publishing monthly newsletters, issuance of circulars and through Dhaka's first B2B web portal, which directly links exporters and buyers around the world.
· BGMEA also established its own Institute called "BGMEA Institute of Fashion & Technology (BIFT)" in 2000. Till the day BIFT is continuously developing professionals for this sector through the courses of Fashion Designing and Garment Merchandising; and other certificate, diploma and short courses. Transforming it into University is under process.
· Promotes computer-oriented solutions for better management to its member units.
· Participate actively in all trade negotiations for the sector in order to get easier market access and GSP benefits.
· BGMEA's appointed lobbyist firm has been working to get duty free access in the US market.
· BGMEA has introduced Service Books for each and every workers employed in the factories.
· BGMEA is going to launch a workers welfare committee in the factories.
· BGMEA has ensured the minimum wage implementation to the tune of 99.99% of all factories.
· BMGEA has set up a Crisis Management Committee for emergencies.
· BGMEA regularly helps out the victims of natural calamity by providing relief, rehabilitation and other support. BGMEA stood beside the SIDR affected people with huge relief and support. BGMEA also rehabilitated 100 families by establishing a weaver's village (Taath Palli) in Manikgonj.
· BGMEA provides scholarship to meritorious children of the garments workers. Each year 2000 students are getting the scholarships at Dhaka and Chittagong.
· BGMEA runs training programs through 27 TechnicalTrainingCenters and 3 other centers with the objective of producing skilled workers for the RMG sector. More than 15000 trainees will be shaped up through this program and BGMEA will appoint them in the factories. BGMEA has trained and employed 15,000 people till the date.
· BGMEA is in the process of taking over 34 vocational training centers to provide various skill sets to the unemployed.
· BGMEA regularly conducts fire drills and fire safety program at the member factories. Although 9 fire incidents took place in 2010, there were no casualties.
· BGMEA runs 12 medical centers for its workers and provides HIV/AIDS awareness. Around 6 million workers have already received medical treatment and 80,000 workers have been made aware of HIV/AIDS and reproductive health.
· BGMEA is going to develop a central database system for the garment workers, which will cover all workers' information of the readymade garment sector.
· BGMEA is going to start a UD automation system to speed up custom procedures. Such online system will bring dynamism in a way that reduces lengthiness in custom procedures.
· BGMEA has distributed essential food items among workers at subsidized price during the last Ramadan through 12 centers at Dhaka and Chittagong.
· A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between BGMEA and IFC-SEDF on 17th June 2008 to monitor occupational safety and health status of the workers employed in the member factories of BGMEA operating at Dhaka. Under this program all the running factories at Dhaka have already been audited by the social compliance monitors of BGMEA and a database in being prepared.
Contact Info:
BGMEA Head Office:BGMEA Complex
23/1 Pantha Path Link Road
Kawran Bazar, Dhaka 1215, Bangladesh
Tel.: +880 2 8140310-20
Fax.: +880 2 8140322, 8140323
Email: info@bgmea.com
BGMEA Regional Office:
BGMEA Bhaban (Level- 4 & 5)
669/E, Jhautala Road, South Khulshi, Chittagong.
Tel: 88-031-2867401-10 (PABX)
Fax: 88-031-2867412
E-mail: info@bgmeactg.org
Website: www.bgmea.com.bd
