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Tanners from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh work on collaboration

11/09/2012
Tanning industry leaders from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh held a joint meeting in India at the start of September in an attempt to work out ways for mutual cooperation and to increase leather-sector exports from each of their countries. The meeting took place at an event called ‘Strengthening the competitiveness of South Asia in leather and leather products’, organised by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Muhammad Naseem Shafi, chief executive of Pakistani tanning company Shafi Group, Syed Nasim Manzur, managing director of Apex Adelchi Footwear from Bangladesh, and Rafeeque Ahmed, chairman of India’s Council of Leather Exports (CLE), met for the first meeting of its kind.

After the meeting, Mr Shafi told India media: “We are not here to compete with each other head-on in all areas, but to make use of market information and add value to our products to stay in the global competition. We have to think ahead and keep the leather sector going. As supply for the European market has fallen from 55% to 45%, we will focus on increasing business in China from 30% to 45%,” he said.

In an inaugural address at the two-day event, Rajeev Kher, additional secretary at India’s ministry of commerce said that all three countries would benefit from a framework for regional organisation that would foster integration. He pointed out that South Asia is not only a production centre but also a major market that could sustain the leather industry.


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