Ceramic expo begins at ICCB

Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin has urged businesses to harness the potential of the ceramic industry as a promising export sector of Bangladesh.

He made this call while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the “4th Ceramic Expo 2025” as the chief guest at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in Dhaka on Thursday.

Organised by the Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BCMEA), the expo will continue until 30 November. BCMEA President Moynul Islam chaired the event.

Special guests included Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro, Export Promotion Bureau Vice-Chairman Mohammad Hasan Arif and BCMEA Secretary General and Expo Committee Chairman Irfan Uddin also were present there.

Speaking at the event, the commerce adviser said, “Don’t just bring complaints – bring logical, acceptable, and realistic proposals. The government is your supporter. We are committed to ensuring your facilities and opportunities. But these must be based on fair and quality industrial practices.”

Raising the question of why the ceramic sector has not expanded into a major export industry like the apparel sector—which achieved such growth in just one decade—he said the ceramic sector still faces obstacles.

“Why hasn’t the ceramic sector reached that level? Because we still face challenges in sustainable cost competitiveness, design innovation, logistics efficiency, productivity, and energy management. We must identify these issues and work toward practical solutions.”

Bashir noted that the country’s changing political landscape has proven that the era of “connection-based business” has ended. In future, business will no longer run on reputation or connections, rather skills, competitiveness, and innovation will be the real strengths, he said.

A total of 135 companies and 300 brands from 25 countries, including Bangladesh, are participating in the ceramic expo. Along with them, 500 international delegates and buyers from the sector are taking part in the event.

Ceramic Expo Bangladesh 2025 is the country’s fourth and one of Asia’s largest international exhibitions. It features three seminars, a job fair, B2B and B2C meetings, live demonstrations, spot orders, raffle draws, and new product launches.

The fair will remain open to visitors daily from 10am to 6pm.

However, more than 70 factories have already been established in Bangladesh in sectors such as tableware, tiles, and sanitaryware. The annual domestic market for these products is valued at around Tk8,000 crore. Over the past decade, production and investment in this industry have grown by nearly 150%.

Bangladesh currently exports ceramic products to more than 50 countries, earning around Tk500 crore annually. Overall investment in the industry now exceeds Tk18,000 crore, providing direct and indirect employment to nearly 5 lakh people.