A total of 40 candidates of Sammilito Parishad, a panel of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), on Saturday submitted their nomination papers for the upcoming election.

The BGMEA board of directors election for 2024-2026 will be held on March 9. Among those who submitted the nomination papers, 31 were from Dhaka region and nine from Chattogram region, according to a press release. 

President of Sammilito Parishad and former BGMEA President, Tipu Munshi MP, Md. Siddiqur Rahman, former President of BGMEA and also the Chief Election Coordinator of the Sammilito Parishad for the BGMEA Election 2024-2026, Abdus Salam Murshedy MP, former President BGMEA, Md. Shafiul islam Mohiuddin, former BGMEA President, current President of BGMEA Faruque Hassan and Panel Leader of Sammilito Parishad S. M. Mannan (Kochi) were also present.

BGMEA started with only 12 members in early 1980's and presently has around 4500 member factories. Around 40% of BGMEA member factories are knitwear and sweater manufactures, and the rest 60% are woven garment manufactures. BGMEA is being run by a 35-member elected Board of Directors. 

Export earnings from the country’s readymade garment (RMG) sector in 2023 reached $47.39 billion, which was $1.68 billion (3.67%) more than that in 2022, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).