March 13, 2005

Yellow Pages in Bangladesh Listing Bangladesh's Garments & Apparel Companies

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.

February 22, 2005

Global Trade and Technology Network (GTN) of USAID

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.