Sheikh Hasina

Photo: PID

PM Hasina calls for an end to Israel's aggression in Palestine

She made this call while inaugurating the 4th Bangladesh Leather Footwear and Leathergoods International Sourcing Show (BLIS)-2023 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the capital on Thursday, October 12.

On this day, the Prime Minister mentioned various significant changes in the leather industry during the tenure of the Awami League government.

Ahe said, firstly, commercial farms spread across the country and revolutionized cattle rearing. 2.5 million cattle are being produced in Bangladesh annually.

Second, just a decade ago, the bulk of the country's export earnings came from the export of leather as raw material. But with government incentives and policy support, high value-added products such as footwear and leather goods industries have expanded. Now about 93 percent of the export income of this sector is coming from footwear and leather products.

Thirdly, to solve the environmental problems of Hazaribagh, our government has taken proactive steps and completely shifted the tannery industries to the modern industrial city of Savar.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina announced the establishment of a 'Leather Development Authority' under the Prime Minister's Office (such as Bepza). She said that a separate 'Leather Development Authority' will be created under the Prime Minister's office, so that minor problems of this sector can be dealt with.

To solve the problems of this sector and preserve the skins of the sacrificial animals, her government is thinking of establishing state-of-the-art slaughterhouses and developing tannery industry. In that case, the Prime Minister mentioned the names of Chittagong and Rajshahi after meeting Dhaka.

She said, if we can export all of our growing supply into finished products, it will be possible to earn USD 300 crore from the leather goods and footwear sector by 2025. However, in this case, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of diversifying the export of products and increasing the number of export products.

Sheikh Hasina added, "In this era of economic diplomacy, the government is trying to accelerate import and export trade and find new markets. We are establishing 100 Special Economic Zones across the country. As a result, Bangladesh has now become the most favorable destination for investment and sourcing in the world. Bangladesh's geographical location is a bridge between East and West as it falls within international air traffic routes. That is how Bangladesh is being developed."