Bangladesh light engineering expo opens in Dhaka

DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladesh is seeking to expand its light engineering sector into global markets as policymakers and industry leaders warn that the country’s share of the world’s multi-trillion-dollar engineering trade remains marginal despite rising domestic capacity.

The push comes as the Bangladesh Light Engineering Expo 2026 opened in Dhaka on Monday, drawing attention to a sector that supplies key inputs to agriculture, textiles, construction, power generation and automobile manufacturing but continues to rely heavily on imported machinery and components.

According to the Bangladesh Engineering Industry Owners’ Association, around 50,000 small and medium enterprises operate in the sector, employing more than 300,000 workers and contributing close to 3% of national output. 

Local manufacturers currently meet nearly half of Bangladesh’s estimated $8.2 billion domestic demand for engineering products, producing over 3,800 categories of machinery, tools and spare parts.

However, industry representatives say Bangladesh captures less than 1% of the nearly $7 trillion global engineering market, underscoring structural challenges around technology adoption, investment and export competitiveness. Sector exports currently stand at about $795 million.

With policy support, technology upgrades and improved access to finance, export earnings could rise sharply by the end of the decade, industry leaders say, as Bangladesh looks to diversify beyond traditional export pillars such as garments.

The three-day expo, organized by the BEIOA with backing from the Ministry of Commerce and the World Bank-supported Export Competitiveness for Jobs initiative, is being positioned as a platform to connect domestic manufacturers with international buyers, suppliers and investors.

More than 50 local firms are exhibiting products, while parallel discussions are focusing on export strategy after Bangladesh’s graduation from least developed country status and the role of research and innovation in improving global competitiveness.

Officials and industry representatives say reducing import dependence and moving into higher-value engineering products will be critical if Bangladesh is to secure a meaningful place in global supply chains in the coming years.