Faruque Hassan has been appointed as the new president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Hassan’s party Sammilita Parishad won BGMEA’s biennial election securing 24 posts of directors while the other panel, Forum, led by ABM Shamsuddin won 11 posts. The voters elected 35 directors. A president and seven vice-presidents will be picked from the elected directors.

Managing director of Giant Group, Hassan promised to address COVID-19-related challenges and unite BGMEA to help the sector grow. The BGMEA election is an important event as the industry is the single largest export earning sector and employs 4.2 million workers directly.

In fiscal 2018-19, Bangladesh exported garment items worth more than $34.13 billion. Its earnings had declined to $27.94 billion last fiscal year as sales collapsed in Western markets because of the fallouts of the pandemic. The sector contributes 15 per cent to Bangladesh’s gross domestic product annually.