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Previously, over 120 litres of water were required to wash a kilogramme of denim fabrics, but now Karmak’s machinery requires only 30 litres or even lower, Tawfiq-uz-Zaman said.

The textile sector made little investment in machinery in the last one year because of the lower demand of garments, said Md Harun-ur Rashid, managing director of Textile Associates Limited, the local agent of Rieter, a Swiss machinery company.

“We are hopeful that the global supply chain will turn around this year.”

The business was normal until the middle of 2022, but 2023 was not a good year as the demand for clothing items fell globally, Rashid said.

Sales were a bit low last year, but not bad in Bangladesh, said Md Tanzilur Rahman, senior assistant manager of Pacific Associates Ltd, a seller of machinery made in Germany, Italy, Spain, China, Hong Kong and Japan.

Last year, Rahman’s company targeted selling $80 million worth of machinery but could achieve only $38 million.

Before the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pacific Associates used to annually sell machinery worth $78 million, he said.

This year, Rahman aims at selling $74 million worth of machinery as the inquires for such machines increased.

Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) President Mohammad Ali Khokon said they accepted a 178 percent hike in gas price in 2023 because of the assurance of providing them with an uninterrupted gas supply, but the authorities failed to do so.

In his speech given in a seminar on the sidelines of the expo, the BTMA leader also urged the government to take stern action against the loan defaulters.

At the inauguration of the exhibition, Salman F Rahman, private industry and investment adviser to the prime minister, shade light on the recent export subsidy cut.

He said businesses can discuss the subsidy cut with the government if they want, but it is needed to come out from the subsidy culture.

This year, 1,100 exhibitors from 33 countries are exhibiting their machinery occupying 1,600 booths at the Dhaka International Textile and Garment Machinery Exhibition.

The BTMA, Chan Chao International Company Ltd and the Yorkers Trade & Marketing Services Co Ltd are jointly organising the exhibition.