My News Files

1. Friday, April 22, 2016
FE Report
Leather goods & Footwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB)
on Thursday demanded immediate relocation of tannery units to the newly leather industrial state
of Savar for the sake of meeting buyers’ compliance requirements.
The association also sought sustainable and necessary policy support from the government for
helping promote the country’s leather goods and footwear manufacturing industry.
The demands were made at a launching ceremony of LFMEAB business promotion brochure
unveiling the investment prospects in the Bangladesh leather sector and attract Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) held at a city restaurant upon joint collaboration of government, donors and the
association of the manufacturers.
Senior secretary of Ministry of Commerce Hedayetullah Al Mamaun, Additional Secretary of
Ministry of Industries Sushen C Das, President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and
Industries, Dhaka (MCCI) Syed Nasim Manzur, , President of LFMEAB Md Saiful Isalm,
Project Director of Bangladesh Inspired Kazi Roushan Ara and representatives of the
international donor agencies, among others, were present in the programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hedayetullah Al Mamaun said, after ready-made-garments (RMG)
sector the leather sector has huge potential in the global export market.
He said the first-ever investment brochure of the sector will help attract FDI in the sector and the
entrepreneurs should act now by developing green manufacturing facilities for the success of the
sector through grabbing the global demand with diversified value added leather products.
The MCCI president said despite having huge potentials, the local footwear and leather goods
sector still lacks innovation in production process and product development.
He also laid emphasis on building a positive brand image of the sector as well as the country in
the global arena.
“Bangladesh leather tanning industry meets 1.13 per cent of the global leather raw materials
demand with the industry consist of 200 tanneries, 3500 MSME’s, 2500 footwear making units

2. and 90 large firms. 10 percent of the world’s total leather demand met by Bangladesh by
employing 0.85 million people aims to reach $ 5 billion annual export by year 2020,” Mr Manzur
added.
“The Savar industrial state will help uphold the sector’s image abroad and attract more FDI in
Bangladesh,” Mr Sushen C Das said.
The LFMEAB president said Bangladesh produces 300 million square feet of leather per annum
and global investors need to know the status of the leather sector as well as the country’s
entrepreneurs.
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Ends/Sanwar Hossain.