A sub-committee would be formed quickly to address the problems of leather sector of the country, aiming to fetch more export earnings.
Chairman of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leathergoods and Footwear Exporters’ Association Mohiuddin Ahmed Mahin said this while talking to reporters after holding a meeting with Commerce and Finance Adviser at Finance Ministry.
He also mentioned that they would again sit with the adviser at his convenient to explore the untapped potentials of the leather sector.
Mohiuddin said the factories at Savar tannery industrial estates are cent percent export-oriented and those are not entitled to sell leather in the local market.
He alleged that due to the non-operational CETP at Savar Tannery estate, they have to sell their products almost 70 to 80 percent lesser prices than the global market. For this, they are also not being able to make value addition.
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Mahin also lamented that due to incapacity of the CETP they are also not being able to maintain a balance between the buying and selling price of leather.
He said the adviser assured them of resolving the existing problems with positive mindset.
MA Rashid Bhuiyan, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leathergoods and Footwear Exporters’ Association alleged that the previous government forced them to go to Savar tannery industrial estate and thus they could not do their business properly.
He said the previous government officials lied to them and forced them to go there although there were no such infrastructures.
“We’ve apprised the adviser about our problems and hopefully, he would solve the problems and gave us such assurance,” he added.
Rashid said their main demand is to make fully functional the CETP.“We are yet to get the LWG certificate and we’re being affected for them,” he said.
Asked about their assets which are in the red zones at Hazaribagh, he said that those areas might have been out of the red zone and discussion is also going on in this regard through joint venture initiatives.