They also highlighted making the best use of information technology in garment sector for easy and quick access to information.

The speakers were addressing the seminar held on the sidelines of Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition (Batexpo-2005) at Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) organised the three-day show that ends today.

A regional approach through cooperation with the regional businesses is needed to develop a healthy garment industry, said Rupa Ganguly of International Trade Centre (ITC), while presenting a keynote paper titled " Competitiveness of garments industry in the post-quota era -- An ITC approach".

ITC is the technical cooperation arm of WTO and Unctad for operational enterprise-oriented capacity building for trade promotion and export development.

Regional and sub regional partnership along with a regionally integrated industry can help yield better harvest in garment sector as the sector is facing stiff competition with different regional powers in the world market, she added.

Quality services to attract buyers and improved information technology to establish a close communication between foreign investors and local businesses are also needed for the development of garment sector, Ganguly said.

Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, vice chancellor of BRAC University, Kutubuddin Ahmed, president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and former president of BGMEA, also spoke at the seminar.

Prof M Shamim Z Bosunia of the Department of Civil Engineering of BUET, presented another keynote paper titled "Construction of Factory Buildings and Bangladesh National Building Code Practices and Realities".

The keynote speaker emphasised implementation of the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) in garment industry for the safety of the garment workers.

"The BGMEA should take pre-emptive measures and declare compliance with the BNBC mandatory for all its members," said Jamilur Reza Choudhury.

The MCCI president said public and private initiative is needed in this regard as the Rajuk alone cannot implement the BNBC.

A total of 71 companies are showcasing their products in 82 stalls in the Batexpo-2005. Twenty foreign companies from Pakistan, China, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan are participating in the fair this year. Of these, 12 companies came from Pakistan.