Recently one of my answers in the Alibaba Resource Forum was awarded the best answer. The title link lands to that page. In the answer I extracted information from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)  about the producing, consuming, exporting and  importing country ranks delaing with cotton.
 

According to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) the list goes like this:

Cotton PRODUCERS (growers) Ranks - China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Uzbekistan, Turkey.

Cotton CONSUMERS Ranks - China, India, Pakistan, USA, Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia.

Cotton EXPORTERS Ranks - USA, Uzbekistan, Australia, Brazil, Mali, Greece, Burkina Faso.

Cotton IMPORTERS Ranks - China, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Thailand, Mexico, Bangladesh


China is the major player for cotton in the world. But, the demand for Cotton in China is also immense. Therefore, they have to import cotton as well. The fact that makes USA the major exporter of cotton, is they produce more than their consumption, this is also true for Uzbekistan.

And the reason Bangladesh, Mexico, Pakistan, and Thailand are in the top importer list is because they have the most demandable textile industries that work as a hub for high quality and low cost yarns and fabrics.

However, the rank of Bangladesh as a Cotton Importing country may rise up the ladder due to more than 100% growth in the Knitwear industry recently. This fact can easily tell us how big is the Bangladesh's Garments Industry.

Despite, Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA)'s site, there are also a handful of other commercial directory and yellowpage site that lists the garments companies in Bangladesh. Some of the most proninent sites are:

Velki.com

Velki means magical tricks in Bangla. But, Velki.com is one of the oldest directories in Bangladesh listing almost anything from Yellowpages of Bangladeshi SMEs to Travel Information and Classifieds.

If you are looking for any information about any SME or garment manufacturing and exporting companies in Bangladesh, then the site is worth a try.

The link shows information about the links to various institutions, trade associations, companies, SMEs, related to the most rich Garments & Apparel industry in the world.

Bangladesh Trade Info

The most updated and neat site for any company from Bangladesh. The problem with directory-based sites that lists Bangladeshi companies, are not frequently updated. So, the utility of such site diminishes. However, Bangladesh Trade Info site is not like that.

Biz Bangladesh

Biz Bangladesh is a site from a hosting company. And it started quite early in the era when portal was very popular. And this site also is a portal for many Bangladeshi Garments companies.

Bangladesh Yellow Book

Bangladesh Yellow Book is relatively newer than the upper ones. However, it contains the most comprehensive list of Bangladeshi garments and apparel exporting companies.

The abbreviation of Global Trade & Technology Network should have been GTTN or GT&TN. The reason it is named GTN, because it was previously named Global Technology Network (GTN). The objective of GTN was to transfer US technology from the USA to the LDCs and Developing Countries.

But, after a study, the consultants foud that, if GTN can help the LDCs and Developing Countries for export and import then the demand for US technology can be enhanced. It is kind of a after sales service, where the technolgy providers also tell where you can market your product made by their machines. Believing this fact, The Global Technology Network (GTN) turned into Global Trade & Technology Network. But, the brand name GTN was so popular that, the authorities could not change the abreviation.

US-GTN was previously managed by the fund of USAID. Recently, from the start of 2005, USAID stopped funding. But, GTN did not stop functioning. It is currently manage by its successor - International Business Linkages (IBL).

I was involved with GTN for a year and registered about 250 companies myself. The Bangladeshi database in GTN is not quite good in terms of quantity. However, the directory is one of the best quality directory for Bangladeshi Garments and Apparel Manufacturers and Exporters.

To approve each SME in this directory. I had to visit each company and assess 3 things:

1. Their legal existence through:

• Tade license,
• VAT certificate,
• TIN Certificate,
• Certificate of Incorporation, etc.

2. Their physical existence through visiting their premises

3. Their capability to either import or export through Export or Import Registration Certificates

To utilize the directory, you need to be a member of GTN. Currently, GTN is not limited to LDCs or Developing Countries. They constantly increasing the number of countries. They also have affiliates in several countries, through whom they can offer business linking services offline and beyond the GTN platform.

The directory is probably one of the best directories in the world for Jute Fiber Exporters and Garments & Apparel Manufacturers , low cost apparel exporters, and handicrafts exporters from Bangladesh. However, in my career life with GTN, I found no harmony or traceable trend in Importers of Bangladesh.

GelbeSeiten - machen das Leben leichter

This page at this link list several German Companies who regularly imports goods from Bangladeshi Exporters. I think this link will be helpful for Bangladeshi Woven & Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters.

Note: This site is in German Language. You can use http://translate.google.com to utilize the site.

A Blog on SME Directories in Bangladesh

Link: http://sme-directory-bd.blogspot.com

Bangladesh's export earnings carries more than 60% contribution from the Garments, Apparel, and Knitwear Industry. The industry itself is one of the biggest Garments Industry in the world along with Thailand, India, and Mexico.

Starting from Buttons, labels, apparel papers, threads, and all other products are found here. Even services like dying, washing, ironing are also found in the corners of Industrial areas of Bangladesh. This happened because the demand for these industries are here. e.g. A Canadian button manufacturer would not make buttons in Canada, when their buttons are going to Bangladesh and coming back to Canada. So, it would be wise to establish the button factory in Bangladesh.

Therefore, you can find so many SMEs related to the Garments Industry here in Bangladesh. The link of this Blog Title is one of my blog which can help you find some information about how to find Garments Industry dealers (manufacturers, exporters, stock lot traders, accessories traders, etc.).

Note: Don't be surprised to find that 6 out of each 10 SMEs in Bangladesh are related to this Garment Industry.

Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA)

BGMEA is the largest export-oriented trade association in Bangladesh. And it is the community for the nationally acclaimed and largest export earning industry, i.e. the Garments and Apparel Industry of Bangladesh. The community has various corporate entities, like - manufacturers, processors, buying houses, textile consultants, investors, indenters, importers, and exporters.

BGMEA is attested by government bodies in Bangladesh by Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and Ministry of Textile and Jute (MoTJ). It is also acclaimed by many international orginizations like WTO, ILO, UNCTAD. Moreover, it is supported by largest export earning industry.

When Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturer and Exporter Association (BKMEA) was established, BGMEA has remained the largest association of companies mainly related to woven garments. However, the association never mentions or attest that they represent the woven garments portion of the total garments industry in Bangladesh, since they serve both woven and knit industries.

BGMEA Website - WWW.BGMEA.COM.BD

The site of BGMEA is the major site, if you are looking for Bangladesh's Apparel and Garments related information, news, companies, and updates. i.e. the site is authoritative for information on the Textile & Garments Industry of Bangladesh.

The site also has a large directory of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers, Textile Consultants, Buying Houses, Apparel Exporters, Stocklot Dealers, etc. Below is massive list of these companies available in BGMEA site. You should have Acrobat Reader with browser support to view the file below. If you can view the PDF, use the search option to search for specific Garments and Apparel related companies in Bangladesh and look up their contact information.