High hopes for Bangladesh International Leather Fair
The Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia earlier this week inaugurated the sixth Dhaka International leather Fair.
Organised by the Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leathergoods and Footwear Exporters Association (BFLLFEA) and Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA),the sixth show in the series will see manufacturers from India, Italy, Germany, South Africa, the USA, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom showcase a wide range of products.
"We have invited foreign buyers and marketing companies from the leather industry and are hoping for spot orders worth around $7 million to be placed at the fair," said Rezaul Karim Ansari, chairman of BFLLFEA. The chairman added that Bangladesh earned Taka 13,780 million (about $230 million) in foreign exchange in the 2002-03 fiscal year from this sector. Of the total of 207, however, 115 had closed. He urged the government to step up its efforts in rehabilitating those tanneries, adding that while it had been agreed that exports of crust leather should be banned, it was the association’s view that the ban should not be introduced until the Savar leather business relocation plan was under way.
According to Bangladesh's Export Promotion Bureau, the country’s leather exports earned $117 million dollars during the period July-January ’04, just above the target set of $116.5 million and above the $101 million figure recorded the year before. The country’s total exports netted $4.33 billion.
