Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is expected to inaugurate the fair styled 'Batexpo' (Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition) at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.

"This year we expect even more buyers than last year's," BGMEA President SM Fazlul Haque told the news agency yesterday.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) will organise the display of products and potential of the country's prime export sector.

Last year, foreign buyers and representatives of buying houses of the USA, Canada, the UK, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe and many other countries visited the fair.

"We have contacted all of our foreign buyers, including those from Europe, the USA and Canada, and we expect a good number of buyers from at least 12 countries will come to the exposition," the BGMEA president hoped.

The readymade garment industry exported apparel products worth US$ 7.90 billion in the last fiscal year. The foreign exchange fetched by the garment products is around 75 per cent of the nation's total export earnings.

Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Sheikh Hasina is expected to be present as chief guest at the closing ceremony of the exposition on September 23.

Since the first Batexpo, held in 1989, the event has been playing

an effective role in apprising international buyers of the range of

diversity, quality, fashion, style and price of the locally stitched apparel products.

Focusing on the promotional activities, which will take place on the sidelines of the main show, Fazlul Haque said seminars on issues affecting the country's apparel sector and its future are also on the schedule.

Bangladesh's apparel sector employs around two million workers of whom 80 per cent are women.