Commerce, Textile and Jute, and Civil Aviation and Tourism Adviser Sk. Bashir Uddin has emphasized that the government will avoid misguided or emotion-driven decisions in the textile sector, noting that such approaches had negatively impacted the jute industry in the past.

Speaking on Thursday as the chief guest at a seminar at Jute Diversification Promotion Centre (JDPC) in Dhaka, marking National Textile Day 2025, Bashir said, “We aim to achieve the export target of USD 100 billion through realistic and practical measures, not through emotions. Coordination among industry, academia and policy support is essential to reach this goal.”

The seminar, held under the theme “Resilience and Reinvention: Creating Skilled Professionals for the Textile and Apparel Sector of Bangladesh,” highlighted the critical role of skills development in the sector.

Bashir noted that raw materials account for nearly 80 percent of production costs in the textile industry, leaving only 20 percent as potential profit margins.

“There is no alternative to efficiency. If we fail to enhance skills, the entire industry will lag behind,” he added.

Addressing the gap between textile education and industry needs, Bashir said, “Textile education is fully functional in nature, but without strong links between academia and industry, students struggle to demonstrate competency in the workplace.”

He further emphasized Bangladesh’s human resource potential, stating, “The Middle East has crude oil, and we have 180 million people. If we can refine this vast human resource through skill development, we can achieve the peak of prosperity.”

The seminar was presided over by Textile and Jute Secretary Bilquis Jahan Rimi, with a welcome speech by Textile Directorate Director General Md. Shahidul Islam.

Dr. Mohammad Abbas Uddin, Associate Professor at Bangladesh University of Textiles, presented the keynote paper.

Secretary Bilquis Jahan Rimi highlighted ongoing government initiatives to produce skilled, future-ready manpower for the textile sector, promising further measures to address the issues raised during the seminar.

The event was attended by Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) President Shawkat Aziz Russell, Additional Secretaries Arifur Rahman Khan and Subrata Shikder, Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation Chairman Brigadier General Md. Kabir Uddin Sikder, Bangladesh Handloom Board Chairman Abu Ahmed Siddiqi, JDPC Managing Director Md. Zahid Hossain, and other senior officials and industry leaders.