DHAKA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Thursday said her government will set up two more environment-friendly leather industrial estates in the country as part of its efforts to fetch 5 billion U.S. dollars export income from the sector by 2021.
Hasina made the announcement while inaugurating a three-day leather fair in capital Dhaka aiming at bringing global technology to the doorsteps of the local industry to help it grow and modernize.
Sector insiders say Bangladesh eyes new leather estates as the industry has recently entered a new era with relocation of some 154 toxic factories to a new processing cluster in Savar on the outskirts of the capital city from Dhaka's Hazaribagh, which until recently, was home to 95 percent of Bangladesh's leather tanneries while none of them has an effluent treatment plant as required by the country's environmental and labor law.
A Chinese company has already constructed a central effluent treatment plant at the new leather processing zone which sector insiders say again created interest among global buyers about Bangladeshi leather and leather products.
Hasina called upon the the foreign investors and buyers for investing in a larger volume in Bangladesh's leather sector and sourcing more in leather goods from environment friendly factories.
According to the Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh, earnings from export of leather and leather products in Fiscal Year 2016-17 (July 2016-June 2017) grew about 7 percent to 1,234 million dollars.
Md. Saiful Islam, President of Leathergoods & Footwear Manufacturers & Exporters of Bangladesh (LFMEAB) , said the government has a target of 60 billion dollars income from exports, in which 5 billion dollars will be from leather industry.
Nearly 250 exhibitors from 15 countries, including India and China will be participating in the event to be ended on Nov. 18.
Tanning leather, manufacturing footwear and leather goods machinery along with other components like dyes & chemicals, accessories and allied products are being displayed in the show to benefit all industrial sectors in Bangladesh.
