Staff Reporter –
The West Bengal garment industry comes alive with the 56th Garment Fair and B2B Expo being held over three days on July 1, 2, and 3, 2024, at Biswa Bangla (Milan Mela), Kolkata. This event, organized by the West Bengal Garment Manufacturers and Dealers Association (WBGMDA) with their 58 years of service to the industry, is expected to generate significant business. 900 national and international brands are anticipated to participate in this 56th Garment Buyers & Sellers Meet & B2B Expo, showcasing a wide variety of garments and generating an estimated Rs. 850-900 crore in commercial transactions at the wholesale market.
The importance of the event for the state’s economy was underlined by the presence of the State Government and leading businessmen and prominent corporate houses who attended the event, demonstrating the significance of the Association’s endeavor in boosting the State economy. Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya, Hon’ble Minister of Finance (Independent Charge), Govt. of WB and Sri. Sujit Bose, Minister of State for Fire, Govt. of WB, gave the event its start by inaugurating the expo. Other notable figures who graced the occasion included: Sri. Pradeep Kumar Nandy, Sri. Nirmal Jain, Sri. Biram Prakash Sultania, Sri. Manoj Gupta, Sri. Arun Somani, Sri. Binay Dubey, Sri. Ram Chandra Agarwal and several other well-known personalities. The event was also attended by several eminent personalities like Sri. Hari Kishan Rathi, President of WBGMDA; Sri. Vijay Kariwala, Senior Vice President of WBGMDA; Sri. Pradeep Murarka, Vice President of WBGMDA; Sri. Devendra Baid, Hony. Secretary of WBGMDA and many others.
Since its founding, this association has conducted B2B exhibitions and garment fairs to help the nation become a powerful hub in the global textile supply chain and to foster the growth of a modern, dynamic, and competitive apparel sector, primarily composed of MSMEs. WBGMDA – Buyer Sellers Meet, a non-retail event, has developed into a gathering spot for the most well-known and reliable businesses in the eastern region of the nation. This event also contributes significantly to the GDP by generating a large number of jobs.
The West Bengal Garment Manufacturers & Dealers Association’s Hony. Secretary, Sri. Devendra Baid, gave a speech regarding the occasion and stated, “Our association’s buyers and sellers meetings have achieved continuous success throughout five decades of doing business in the eastern part of the country.” Eastern India’s largest ready-made garment meet is taking place here. This group has continued to expand and has given the readymade garment sector in this area the finest support possible despite erratic economic conditions and fluctuations in the industry. The MSME department has approved our meeting, making it the first of its type in our industry.
On this occasion, Sri. Hari Kishan Rathi, President of West Bengal Garment Manufacturers & Dealers Association stated, “We have received continuous support throughout the years from our predecessors and we hope to create a more sustainable environment for the next generation”. Together with our usual Manufacturers and Wholesalers, we also have Retailers participating this time. I hope that this meet proves to be a fresh opportunity that we can all explore and take advantage of.
