Staff Correspondent:
The award ceremony and closing ceremony of the 15th Garment Accessories and Packaging Exposition ‘GAPEXPO’-2026′ was held at 3:00 PM on Saturday (January 17, 2026) at Hall-2 of the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital. BGAPMEA President Mr. Md. The event was chaired by Shahriar and was attended by former Commerce and Home Minister of the Government of Bangladesh, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Mr. Altaf Hossain Chowdhury as the chief guest. The event was attended by Export Promotion Bureau Director Mr. Abu Mokhles Alamgir Hossain, BTMA President Mr. Shawkat Aziz Russell and Bangladesh Employers Federation President Mr. Fazle Shamim Ehsan as the special guests.
The four-day-long exhibition of the country’s largest garment accessories and packaging and related machineries was jointly organized by Bangladesh Garment Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA) and ASK Trade and Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd. The fair was officially inaugurated at Hall-2 of ICCB on Wednesday.
At the closing ceremony, BGAPMEA President Md. Shahriar said, “Corrupt money launderers have embezzled crores of taka from banks in the guise of businessmen. Real businessmen can never loot the country’s money.” He believes that this sector can surpass the ready-made garment (RMG) sector in the future if the government ensures the necessary policy support and facilities.
Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) President Shawkat Aziz Russell said, “There is no alternative to becoming self-sufficient. Although we are now largely self-sufficient in packaging and accessories, some policies are pushing our industry towards destruction.” He also said, “If the ‘Free of Cost’ (FOC) import facility is made 100 percent, most of the products will be imported from abroad, which will make it difficult for domestic factories to survive. To increase self-sufficiency, additional taxes and levies at ports must be reduced and the capacity of businessmen must be increased.”
Former Commerce and Home Minister and former Air Vice Marshal Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, in his speech as the chief guest, said, “I am optimistic about the enthusiasm and capacity of this sector. In the last fiscal year, the packaging and accessories sector exported 7.45 billion US dollars. If it gets the right policy support, this sector will be able to surpass the garment sector in the future.” He said, “If the government is formed in the future, it will stand by the businessmen to solve all the problems of this sector.”
Fazle Shamim Ehsan, President of the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF), said that although the packaging and accessories sector is one of the ‘underrated’ sectors of Bangladesh, it is currently the country’s second largest export sector. “Importing raw materials and exporting products through value addition is proof of our ability. However, trade and commerce have gone through difficult times in the last one year. “A stable and internationally trusted democratic government is needed to accelerate the economy and investment going forward,” he added.
Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Director Abu Mokhles Alamgir Hossain said this year’s fair was about 80 percent more successful than last year. “Strong policy support is needed to increase Bangladesh’s share in the $700 billion global packaging market.” “As ‘Product of the Year’, we will organize seminars on the problems of this sector and take initiatives to ensure bonds and other benefits in discussions with the NBR,” he said.
With the aim of diversifying and expanding export trade, BGAPMEA is organizing the 15th Gapexpo-2026 like other years. This year, 350 domestic and foreign companies, including BGAPMEA members, participated in Gapexpo in 1,500 stalls. Companies from different countries including India, China, Pakistan, Taiwan, Australia, Germany and Dubai participated in the fair. The fair showcased modern machinery, raw materials and domestically produced products of the garment accessories and packaging industry. With the presence of lakhs of visitors, the fair played an important role in creating effective connections between buyers and sellers.
On the closing day, Cosmo Group came first in the Best Stall (General) category among the companies participating in the fair, Micro Trims Ltd. and Rajan Trims Ltd. came in 2nd place and R-Pack (Bangladesh) Ltd. and Zeshan Group came in 3rd place. On the other hand, in the Best Stall (Green Concept) category, Kazi Printing & Xenbiz Ltd. came in 1st place, Expo Accessories Ltd. came in 2nd place and Bankor Pulp & Paper Corporation came in 3rd place. In addition, Mr. Shyamal Chandra Sarkar, CEO of BGAPMEA, as an Associate Partner of Bangladesh Tax Training Institute (BTTI) in the training activities related to tax, VAT and income tax at BGAPMEA Institute of Packaging and Accessories (BIPA), was awarded an honorary crest for his overall support to BGAPMEA.
At the end of the program, BGAPMEA Vice President (Finance) Mr. Mozaharul Haque Shaheed thanked the Chairman of the Fair Committee, the President of the Association, all the members of the Board of Directors, former Presidents and all the officers and employees of the Association for making the Gapexpo-2026 fair a success. He also thanked all the journalists of the print and electronic media. Because they have helped increase the number of visitors to the fair by spreading news about the concurrent event of Gapexpo-2026, GarmentTech Bangladesh-2026 Fair, in print and electronic media. He also thanked the 30 different sponsor companies who made the fair a success through their sponsorship.
