The government pledged policy support for Bangladesh’s packaging industry on Thursday as more than 130 companies from 12 countries gathered in Dhaka for the three-day “Dhaka Industrial Packaging Expo 2026”, an event aimed at strengthening export capacity and industrial backward linkages.
Commerce, Industries, Textiles and Jute Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said entrepreneurs would need clear and effective plans to accelerate growth in the packaging sector, adding that the government was prepared to provide policy support to help the industry expand globally, said a press release.
“The government wants the packaging sector to expand further, create new jobs, and contribute more to foreign currency earnings by helping Bangladeshi products reach international markets,” he said while inaugurating the expo at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Agargaon.
The event has been jointly organised by the Bangladesh Flexible Packaging Industries Association (BFPIA) and ExpoNet Exhibition Pvt Ltd, with Tampaco Group as co-sponsor.
Organisers said the expo was designed as an international business platform focused on packaging technology, sustainable manufacturing, energy efficiency and industrial support industries.
BFPIA President Safius Sami Alamgir presented the keynote paper at the programme.
He said the country’s packaging industry was currently valued at around Tk 8,000 crore and employed nearly 50,000 people, while local companies were meeting around 80 per cent of domestic demand.
According to him, the packaging sector has evolved beyond a supporting industry and emerged as a key driver of Bangladesh’s industrialisation, export growth and consumer economy.
He said the sector could become a new export frontier by replicating the manufacturing success of the country’s readymade garment industry.
Safius Sami Alamgir also said policy consistency, ease of doing business and fair taxation would help improve the sector’s global competitiveness.
He added that controlling packaging costs could help stabilise prices of consumer goods and medicines because of the sector’s direct link to the wider economy.
Among the special guests were Ministry of Commerce Additional Secretary and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Administrator Md Abdur Rahim Khan and Export Promotion Bureau Vice-Chairman and CEO Mohammad Hasan Arif.
ExpoNet Exhibition Pvt Ltd Managing Director Rashidul Haque delivered the welcome speech.
Organisers said around 320 stalls were displaying products and services related to packaging, printing, processing and industrial technologies.
More than 10,000 visitors are expected to attend the expo over the three days.
