[🇧🇩] Footwear and leather Industry in Bangladesh

Govt plans forming dedicated leather industry authority


Photo: Star Archive

The government has taken an initiative to establish a dedicated authority for the development and management of the leather industry, Bangladesh's second-largest sector in terms of export earnings, with a focus on public and private enterprises.

As a part of this, the Ministry of Industries published a draft of "Bangladesh Leather Industry Management Authority Act 2024" on its website on June 13 to avail feedback from stakeholders.

The move comes in response to demands from businesses for the creation of a dedicated authority under the Prime Minister's Office to diversify the country's export portfolio.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had informed of the plans while inaugurating the Bangladesh Leather Footwear and Leathergoods International Sourcing Show in October last year.

Leather was once among Bangladesh's three main export items.

However, rising local value addition, poor compliance with international standards and a shift of buyers to other countries have led to leather exports declining by more than half over the past decade.

In fiscal year 2022-23, leather exports amounted to $123.44 million, down sharply from $397.54 million in FY14, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau.

Bangladesh produces 400 million square feet of leather annually while there are 165 footwear and leather factories in the country, according to industry insiders.

According to the draft, the authority will be comprised of a chairman and three members while its main office will be in the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate.

The chairman will bear the rank of an additional secretary while the members of joint secretary, it said.

However, the draft also mentions that the authority will operate under an eight-member board, chaired by a secretary or senior secretary of the Ministry of Industries.

The members will include the chairpersons of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation, Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather goods and Footwear Exporters' Association and Bangladesh Tanners Association.

It will also include the director of the Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology under the University of Dhaka and representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Commerce.

Businesses have been demanding the formation of the authority for a long time, said Shaheen Ahamed, chairman of the Bangladesh Tanners Association, adding: "It would be great if it is under the Prime Minister's Office."

"…the problems of our sector will be identified very quickly, and it will be possible to solve those promptly. We have some observations…We will present them very soon," said Ahamed, also managing director of Anjuman Trading Corporation.​

Time-bound action plans being formulated for leather industry dev: industries secy
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka 24 June, 2024, 22:38


Workers arrange salted rawhide in a pile at a tannery at Hemayetpur of Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka on Monday. Like the previous year, rawhide of sacrificial animals was sold at throwaway prices across the country after Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslims, which was celebrated in the country on June 17. | Sony Ramany

Senior secretary of the industries ministry Zakia Sultana on Monday informed that time-bound action plans were being formulated for the development of the leather industry.

'In addition to the renovation and development of the existing Common Effluent Treatment Plant in Savar Leather Industrial City, initiatives have been taken to construct three more environmentally friendly CETPs,' she said.

Zakia Sultana said this while presiding over a workshop on 'Smart Bangladesh, Smart Industry: The Role of Stakeholders in the Development of Leather and Leather Products' at the industries ministry in the city, said a press release.

As per plan, Zakia Sultana said, if everything is implemented, it is expected that Leather Working Group certification of tanneries will be increased and the export of leather and leather products in the international market will also be increased.

At the workshop, former industries secretary and former commissioner of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission Md Abdul Halim delivered the keynote speech.​

Global market expands, Bangladesh lags behind
Shovongkor KarmakarDhaka
Updated: 24 Jun 2024, 09: 11


Photo shows a line of leather products at shop.Prohtom Alo file photo

The global market of leather and leather products has been expanding every year, but Bangladesh could not use its potential to expand exports in spite of having a huge domestic supply of rawhide. The export volume has been more or less in the same spot over the past seven years. On the one hand, low prices are contributing to the decaying of sacrificial animal hide every year; on the other hand, leather worth 16 billion taka is being imported to manufacture export-oriented leather products. The leather industry in Bangladesh is not developing because of pollution caused by the Hemayet leather industry estate.

Experts and people involved in the sector said it has been 21 years since the implementation of a planned tannery industry estate on a 200-acre of land in Hemayetpur of Savar, outskirts of capital Dhaka. A total of 154 tanneries were allocated land in the industry park and 142 of them are currently in operation. However, the common effluent treatment plant (CETP) is yet to go into full operation. Work on dumping yards for throwing hard wastes ha not started either, resulting in growing pollution now in the Dhaleshwari river after the Buriganga river.

The potential leather industry sector is paying the price of the failure to make the leather industry estate environment-friendly. The price of rawhide fell drastically due to no rise in exports, traders claimed saying companies require LWG certification, but tanners cannot apply for the certification as pollution in the industrial park continues. As a result, traders are forced to export leather to the Chinese traders at half price.

Leather Working Group (LWG) is a not-for-profit membership organization, working to create meaningful change across the global leather supply chain. LWG community works together in a pre-competitive way to make responsible leather production and sourcing a reality, the group said on its website.

The government, however, wants to increase export in this sector despite the dire situation of the leather industrial park. As part of this initiative, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) decreased tax at sources on the export of leather and leather products from 1 per cent to 0.50 per cent in March this year. The industries ministry moved to form a separate authority for proper management and development of the leather industry.

Asked, the research director at the non-government research agency Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Khondaker Golam Moazzem told Prothom Alo that the challenge to environmental standards is having a negative impact on the export of rawhide and leather goods in the country. Currently, it is not possible to obtain LWG certification with the existing CETP, and that is very unfortunate, which is why the CTEP system must be restructured.

State of leather and leather goods export

Market research and consultancy firms say the global market of leather products has been expanding except for the coronavirus pandemic period. According to K-based Technavio and US-based CMI Consulting, the global market size of leather goods including shoes, sandals and bags has grown by 30 per cent to 242.70 billion US dollars in 2024 from 217.49 billion US dollars in 2016. The market size is predicted to rise to 552.90 billion dollars in 2033.

Exports of Bangladesh did not rise as much as the global market grew. According to data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), earnings from exports of leather and leather-processed goods were at 1.23 billion US dollars in the 2016-27 fiscal and 1 billion dollars of the earnings were from the export of leather-processed goods. Exports, however, dropped in the following three years and rose slightly in the next two years before dropping again in the 2022-23 fiscal. Earnings from exports of leather and leather-processed goods were at 1.23 billion US dollars in the last fiscal and 830 million US dollars in the first 11 months of the current fiscal.

Bangladesh shares a small portion of the global market while other countries are moving ahead. In 2023, Vietnam exported leather and leather-processed goods worth 24 billion US dollars and India exported products worth 5.28 billion US dollars that means Vietnam's export of leather and leather goods is 19 times higher than Bangladesh and India's export is four times higher than Bangladesh's.

Less LWG-certified tanneries

Several global brands and footwear manufacturers including Nike, Adidas and Timberland formed the Leather Working Group (LWG) in 2005. It envisions a leather industry dedicated to sustainable and responsible business and works to achieve this through full supply chain transparency, minimal environmental impact, deforestation and conversion-free (DCF) supply chains. Currently, more than 1,000 brands and suppliers are members of the LWG.

According to data available on its website, 1,285 factories have obtained LWG certification so far with Italy dominating the list with 254 factories, followed by India (251), and China (206). Besides, Pakistan has 45 factories with LWG certifications.

To date, seven factories have received LWG certification in Bangladesh. They are ABC Leather Limited, Apex Footwear Limited, Austan Limited, Riff Leather Limited, SAF Industries Limited, Simona Tanning Inc. (Bangladesh) and Superex Leather Limited. Three of those factories manufactured finished leathers from rawhide.

It has been learned that the LWG stopped auditing factories in the tannery industrial estate in Hemayetpur as the estate failed to comply with the stop of pollution. LWG, however, runs audits once a factory installs its ETP, and Simona Tanning received the certification in this process.

Low price of rawhide

The price of cattle rawhide increased by 5-100 taka in this year's Eidul-Azha than the last year's price. Yet, rawhide was sold for 275-300 taka lower than the government fixed price with rawhide from large and medium-size cattle being sold for a maximum of 800-900 taka in the Posta area of Old Dhaka on Eid day. Prices dropped further outside Dhaka. Wholesalers are also reluctant to purchase goat hides with many people even discarding it.

Leaders of the Bangladesh Tanners Association said on 19 June that about 500,000 rawhide mostly goats decayed this year and about 9 million rawhide were processed with salt.

In 2013, the price of cattle rawhide was 85-90 taka per square foot during Eid-ul-Azha. Since then, rawhide prices continued to drop with prices falling drastically in 2019 when rawhide were thrown away roadside or buried underground, damaging rawhide worth about 2.42 billion taka.

On the one hand, rawhide sees low prices; on the other hand, the import of leather has been on the rise. Leathers worth about 9 billion taka were imported in 2018. According to the NBR, companies exporting leather goods imported 11,718 tonnes of various types of leather worth 16.46 billion taka in 2023.

Ways to develop tannery estate

The government relocated the tannery industry from Narayanganj to Dhaka's Hazaribag after acquiring land through a gazette issued on 3 October 1953. However, waste disposal systems were never set up there, and about 25,000 cubic meters of waste was disposed of in the Buriganga river per day in addition to throwing hard waste roadside and into ditches.

The tannery industrial estate project in Hemayetpur, Savar was taken in 2003 at an estimated cost of 1.76 billion taka in a bid to prevent pollution. The project cost was later revised to 10.79 billion taka with added spending on various sectors including CETP. A work order was issued in 2012 to build the CETP, but tanneries were relocated to Hemayetpur from Hazaribag days before the Eid-ul-Azha in 2017 without operating the CETP in full swing.

The CETP in Hemayetpur has a capacity of disposing of 25,000 cubic metres of liquid waste per day, but when tanneries process rawhides in full swing they produce more waste than CETP's capacity. Besides, chloride and biological oxygen demand (BOD) in l refined liquid has not been brought down to a certain limit yet.

Tanners said CETP and hard waste management are still incomplete in the ternary industrial park. The initiative was taken to ration the leather processing to control the additional pressure after Eid-ul-Azha like the last year. It reduces pollution but does not stop.

BTA general secretary Shakawat Ullah told Prothom Alo, "At first, we must move ahead with a goal to achieve 20 LGW certifications for the rapid improvement of the situation. Once that is done other things will follow gradually, but for this, initiative is necessary to make the CETP fully operational."

This report appeared in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna​

Businesses want cold storages at marginal level for preserving rawhides
BSS
Published :
Jul 07, 2024 20:59
Updated :
Jul 07, 2024 20:59


Rawhide traders and tannery owners want cold storage facilities at marginal level including in Natore, Chattogram and Dhaka to properly preserve, maintain and to prevent the rawhides of sacrificial animals from rotting.

They said it is possible to eliminate the rawhide and leather storage crisis within a short time by modernizing the unused storage facilities in different areas. In this way, a large number of sacrificial animal raw hides will be saved from spoiling every year and thus such assets of the country will be protected.

These opinions came up in the meeting of the standing committee on hide and skin, leather, leather goods and artificial leather of the FBCCI held at its Motijheel office on Sunday.

Chairman of the committee and former director of FBCCI Shaheen Ahmed presided over the meeting. Director of FBCCI and former president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) Saiful Islam served as the director-in-charge of the committee, according to a press release.

Speaking at the meeting as the chief guest, Senior Vice President of FBCCI Md Amin Helali said that the government should strengthen the storage facilities in every district to save the raw hide.

"If necessary, the private sector can be involved in this initiative. Besides, cent per cent compliance of the leather industry should be ensured," he added.

Helali said compliance has to be ensured not only for the export market but also for the production of the local market.

He also gave special importance to increasing the competitiveness of the leather industry.

In order to ensure compliance, the leather industry has been shifted from Hazaribagh to Savar. Although a long time has passed, the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) is yet to become fully operational.

Besides, weaknesses also exist in solid waste management which is a big obstacle in getting international environmental clearance (Leather Working Group Compliance Certificate).

Standing Committee Director-in-Charge Md Saiful Islam said that this is one of the obstacles in the growth of the export of leather and leather products.

Chairman of the committee Shaheen Ahmed emphasized providing loans on soft terms to the small and medium businessmen of the leather industry centring the Holy Eid-ul-Azha.

He also drew the attention of the government to remove the existing non-tariff barriers in the export of leather to neighbouring countries including China.​

Compliance issues get in way of fully tapping leather export potential: Labour secretary
FE ONLINE REPORT
Published :
Sep 26, 2024 20:29
Updated :
Sep 26, 2024 21:42
Share this news



Bangladesh has yet to fully harness the potential of its leather goods exports mainly because of compliance issues, Labour and Employment Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman has said.

Leather can be a good item that can help reduce the country’s high dependency on one item—readymade garment, which contributes more than 82 per cent of Bangladesh’s total export earnings, he said, adding that value addition to leather goods is 97 per cent while most of the raw materials used in garment-producing are imported, including cotton.

The secretary hoped that a checklist would help address compliance issues in line with buyer requirements.

The programme was organised by ‘Good Working Conditions in Tanneries (GOTAIN)’ project of German-based Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

During the workshop, it was revealed that most of the leather product exporters in Bangladesh have failed to obtain Leather Working Group (LWG) certification, an internationally recognised standard, due to the industry's inability to meet environmental and social compliance requirements.

As a result, many of Bangladesh's factories are unable to directly export leather products to markets like the European Union and America, which industry leaders believe is contributing to the decline in export earnings.

Although there was initial optimism that relocating tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar, would improve conditions, industry leaders noted that the situation has not improved. The Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) is still not fully operational, and leather waste continues to pollute local rivers, posing environmental risks.

Matiur Rahaman joint inspector general at Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) and project director of GOTAN and Alina Moser advisor GOTAN, GIZ Bangladesh made two separate presentations on checklist and status quo of the developments of the tannery sector in Bangladesh respectively.

DIFE Inspector General Abdur Rahim Khan, Additional Inspector General Arif Ahmed Khan, and head of GOTAN project Md Firoz Alam, among others, spoke at the programme.​

Leather sector leaders seek CETP problem fixing forthwith
Adviser assures steps for the industry
Published :
Oct 07, 2024 08:53
Updated :
Oct 07, 2024 08:53



Leather-sector leaders Sunday urged the government to make the central effluent-treatment plant (CETP) functional to facilitate their business that holds huge export potential.

Leaders of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leathergoods and Footwear Exporters' Association (BFLLFEA) made the request at a meeting with finance adviser of the interim government Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at his secretariat office in the capital.

"Our demand is fix CETP. We are suffering because of government inaction," BFLLFEA adviser M A Rashid Bhuiyan told newsmen after the meeting.

He said during the shifting the tannery business from Hazaribag to Savar, the industrialists were told that all infrastructures were ready. "But it was an utter lie."

He said in the meeting with the finance adviser they elaborately explained the problems facing the factory owners in Savar Tannery Industrial Estate.

The adviser assured them of resolving the problems, Mr Bhuiyan said.

Association chairman Mohiuddin Ahmed Mahin said factories in Savar tannery estate are 100-percent export-oriented.

The government gave them licence for exporting, but due to incomplete CETP, the factory owners are forced to sell goods in China at lower prices than the international-market rates.

The finance adviser told newsmen that he heard the problems of the factory owners and will take necessary actions to resolve them.

"The leather sector has a great opportunity in the export diversification. But they have many problems," he said, adding that resolving their problems will also help fisheries and livestock secretors.

Former BFLLFEA chairman Syed Nasim Manzur attended the meeting, among others.​

CETP saga of Savar leather estate
Syed Mansur Hashim
Published :
Oct 08, 2024 21:40
Updated :
Oct 08, 2024 21:40



It is quite intriguing that discussion is still on how to make the central effluent-treatment plant (CETP) at Savar tannery industrial estate functional after so many years. There is no point discussing how after much tug-and-pull between a previous government and tanners, the leather sector finally moved from Hazaribagh area to the Savar leather estate in 2018. The CETP issue was never resolved and the export-oriented leather industry continued to suffer because it could not meet requirements demanded by importers. Many of the larger tannery companies had gone ahead and installed their own effluent-treatment-plants (ETPs), but for the majority of leather factories that was never an option.

Today, there is a new government in power. The interim government appears to be serious about making changes at policy level on issues like climate and adoption of environmentally-friendly processes. Hence, it is understandable that leaders of the Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leathergoods and Footwear Exporters' Association (BFLLFEA) has approached the finance advisor for measures to fix the CETP. This is understandable because the CETP issue has been festering for years on end under the previous governments. While all other infrastructure has been made ready, the CETP problem remains. But why? The factories located at the Savar tannery industrial estate are 100 per cent export-oriented.

The finance adviser has given assurance that CETP-related problems will be solved soon. Precisely how long "soon" is, of course, matters. As pointed out by BFLLFEA, the absence of a functioning CETP means that factories are forced to sell goods to China at much lower prices than the international market rates. But the government should understand something. It is more imperative than ever to try and diversify the export basket. Being dependent on just one industry, i.e. readymade apparels, exposes the country to undue external pressure, business or otherwise. Again, export diversification must happen to increase foreign exchange earnings, something that is in dire need today.

It is good that there is talk of forming a sub-committee that will look into solving the industry's problems expeditiously. As stated before, a non-operational CETP translates into Bangladeshi tannery companies selling their products at significantly lower rates in the global market and that is not helping either the industry or export earnings. A CETP would also allow for industry to move in to value-added product category, which would increase earnings manifold.

There has till now been a tug of war between past policymakers and industry on the question of cost of setting up a workable CETP. It could be argued that since the existence of CETP is mandatory to make dangerous effluents safe before discharge, it is the industry's responsibility to set it up. Many of tannery companies have set up individual ETPs to take advantage of the obvious export opportunities, but they are a very few in number. Most of the tanneries are small in size with limited financial capacity, which brought forth the question of a CETP in the first place.

If cost sharing becomes inevitable, then the government should go ahead and set it up on its own. At the same time, tannery companies may pay a certain percentage of the cost depending entirely on their export earnings. Since without a CETP, the leather industry as a whole, can never reach its full potential, the ministry concerned needs to come to a decision fast. Enough time has been wasted on the issue and it can only be hoped that the seemingly never-ending saga of a non-functional CETP can come to an end within an acceptable timeframe.​

Realising leather industry's potential
Published :
Oct 09, 2024 22:03
Updated :
Oct 09, 2024 22:03
Share this news



The allegation made by the entrepreneurs of the leather sector is serious. Contrary to the claim successive ministers of the past Awami League government put forward about readiness of the Savar Industrial Estate for relocation of tanneries from Hazaribagh, they complain that they were duped by lies. There was mismanagement galore so far as the infrastructure development at the estate was concerned when they moved to the leather estate in 2018. Some of the infrastructural paucity they could manage on their own but the one outstanding concerned ---and it still does---the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP). From day one, the CETP was far from operating at its full capacity. Strangely, it was still under construction when leather and leather goods manufacturers moved to the industrial estate. Then it started malfunctioning and the Chinese company responsible for its construction reportedly abandoned it without completing it.

The much hyped leather industrial estate thus proved to be a lame duck and the result was catastrophic. Massive environmental pollution from leather plants caused by dumping of solid waste and release of effluent from the leather factories was now shifted from Hazaribagh to Hemayetpur of Savar and from the Buriganga to the Dhaleswari respectively. Although the manufacturers and businesspersons of leather sector did not raise the issue of massive environmental pollution during a meeting with the finance and commerce adviser, they drew his attention to the commercial crises they have been facing since their relocation to the leather estate yet to be complete. Because of this open release of industrial waste and effluent, they are compelled to export leather at prices 70-80 per cent less than the international rate, they complain. They are paying the price for the then government's rash decision to make them move to the processing and manufacturing hub of leather and leather goods before it was equipped with the required facilities.

What, however, the manufacturers and traders of the sector did not mention is the difficulty created for obtaining Leather Working Group (LWG) certification on account of this environmental lacking. Only the LWG-certified leather factories can export shoes and leather products to international market. Reportedly, seven factories in the country have so far obtained LWG certification but only three of them produce finished leather goods. If the commercial constraints the majority of tanneries face could be overcome, the leather industry could live up to its billing of becoming the second highest foreign exchange earner.

Now that the problem is clearly identified and the entrepreneurs of the sector have brought the CETP issue to the finance and commerce adviser's notice and the latter has assured them of helping solve the problem, there are reasons to be optimistic about the industry's flourishment. If an efficient CETP can be set up at the leather estate, there will be a radical change in the environment there. But more needs to be done mainly on the part of the factories as well. They have to introduce advanced technology, particularly gears that ensure the safety of workers handling raw hides for processing. Their exposure to toxic chemicals must be limited to the minimum in order to keep them safe from the diseases caused from physical contact with those substances. The leather estate must be modern in the true sense of the term.​

Non-leather footwear on course to half-billion export club

Bangladesh's synthetic and athletic footwear exports have been growing rapidly, emerging as a bright spot in the country's export basket, which is heavily dominated by readymade garments.

In the decade preceding the end of fiscal year 2023-24, non-leather footwear exports ballooned 120 percent, jumping from $189 million to $416 million.

Such robust growth has continued into the current fiscal year, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

In the first five months of FY25, non-leather footwear exports grew 41 percent year-on-year to $217.81 million, EPB data shows.

Exporters anticipate that the sector is poised to enter the half-billion-dollar club by the end of this fiscal year, joining leather footwear, jute and jute goods, home textiles and agricultural products.

"Western buyers are turning away from global footwear giant China to diversify their sourcing basket and avert looming large tariffs on Beijing from the White House," Riad Mahmud, managing director of Shoeniverse Footwear, said as he outlined reasons for the segment's growth.

Mahmud's footwear factory in Mymensingh, which employs around 1,700 people, supplies products to global brands such as Inditex, Aldi, Matalan and RedTape.

Although Bangladesh has long been trying to diversify its export basket, readymade garments still account for over 80 percent of total exports.

Mahmud said global brands are well aware of Bangladesh's advantages, such as competitive labour pricing, and its strong track record in apparel products, which encourages them to place footwear orders.

"Bangladeshi manufacturers can offer competitive prices for synthetic shoes compared to Vietnam due to lower labour costs. This has attracted globally renowned brands and new buyers," he added.

He said big brands had booked Shoeniverse's factory until March next year and buyers are now approaching him for future slots due to the possibility of the US imposing higher tariffs on Chinese products.

According to a market assessment by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida), the rise in non-leather shipments is a result of increased work orders from well-known global brands like H&M, Puma, Decathlon, FILA and Kappa.

The main export destinations for these products are Spain, France, the Netherlands, South Korea, India, Italy and Germany.

BETTER THAN LEATHER

EPB data shows that Bangladesh's non-leather footwear exports have grown at an average annual rate of 23 percent in the past 10 years while the leather footwear industry has seen average growth of only 6 percent.

Leather footwear exports grew to just over $544 million in FY24 from $483.81 million in FY15.

However, despite the segment's enormous potential, synthetic shoe exporters receive a cash incentive of only 4 percent, Mahmud said, adding that the leather footwear sector was afforded 15 percent.

Though dominated by small-scale factories, the synthetic footwear segment is rapidly growing due to the relatively low investment required to set up an export-oriented production unit.

"It doesn't matter who enters the Oval Office after Trump since Bangladeshi manufacturers of synthetic footwear are well-positioned to capitalise on any tariffs on China in the meanwhile," Mahmud said.

SYNTHETIC FOOTWEAR THE FUTURE OF EXPORT

Jakaria Shahid, managing director of Edison Footwear Limited, believes the synthetic footwear industry will hold the key to export diversification in the future due to its rapid growth.

However, he added that top global brands like Nike and Adidas have not ventured into Bangladesh because manufacturers fail to maintain lead times.

Mohammad Shahadat Ullah, executive director of Maf Shoes, which exports to France and Germany, said, "Our exports have increased compared to last year as buyers are placing more orders."

Maf Shoes, a sister concern of TK Group, has a daily production capacity of over 50,000 pairs of shoes.

Kamruzzaman Kamal, marketing director of industrial conglomerate PRAN-RFL Group, said RFL began exporting non-leather footwear products in 2021. Currently, RFL footwear products are shipped to 37 countries.

"Given the huge global demand and potential for rapid growth, this sector can quickly emerge as a major export earner," he added.

BOTTLENECKS NEED TO BE REMOVED

Nasir Khan, chairman and managing director of Jennys Shoes, said Chinese companies are now lining up to invest in Bangladesh to avoid high tariffs in the US market.

"However, we are confused about our ability to seize this business opportunity due to the non-cooperation of customs officials," Khan alleged.

He said local manufacturers must now spend at least three and a half months to negotiate and secure an export order.

Khan claimed that despite the bright future of both leather and non-leather footwear, exports have been limited to $1 billion over the past two decades due to the non-cooperation of customs officials.

"The customs authorities receive, at best, Tk 50 crore in import duty from leather product manufacturers annually. Manufacturers must bring raw materials into bonded warehouses," he said.

But, if the National Board of Revenue (NBR) reduces the duty to a minimum and allows the import of raw materials without the bonded warehouse condition, government revenue could increase manifold, he added.

MA Razzaque, chairman of Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID), said local leather footwear exports are struggling to grow due to the non-compliance of the tannery estate in Savar.

In contrast, he said, the synthetic footwear industry does not have such compliance requirements, leading to increased exports.

According to Maximize Market Research, a global market research and consultancy firm, the global athletic footwear market was valued at $68.26 billion in 2023.

The market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.11 percent from 2024 to 2030.​