The Bangladesh government is actively exploring the feasibility of concluding potential FTAs/EPAs with several major trading partners, including Australia, to expand international trade.
A meeting chaired by the Commerce Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday (November 19, 2025) discussed Bangladesh’s strategic position for future trade agreements, with a special focus on the proposed EPA with Australia. BGMEA Director Faisal Samad was present at the meeting and highlighted the overall situation and important perspectives of the industry from the perspective of the ready-made garment sector.
He said, “Despite Bangladesh’s strong position as the world’s second largest garment exporter, our partnership gap with China in the Australian market is still huge and challenging. China holds 57% share of garment imports in the Australian market, while Bangladesh’s share is only 11%. He said Bangladesh should set a target of doubling this partnership in the coming decade, which requires concerted efforts including government policy support, diplomatic strategies and strategic coordination with business organizations.
He further noted that the current market achievements are largely the result of individual efforts by entrepreneurs and now a more coordinated national approach is needed for significant expansion, where the Ministry of Commerce can take the lead as the guardian ministry of the sector. The Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Export Promotion Bureau and the BGMEA can collaborate to develop a master plan for market access and FTAs for Bangladesh in the future.
The key strategic priorities that emerged from the discussions included strengthening the backward linkage industry, diversifying cotton import sources and rapidly moving towards man-made fiber and wool-based products to meet the changing market needs.
The meeting decided that a series of meetings would be held on this issue and the BGMEA would present their detailed and well-thought-out future action plan in the next session.
