A three-day international trade show on the leather sector will begin next month in the city aiming to increase exports of footwear, officials said. Machinery components, leather chemicals, accessories for leather, footwear and leather goods will be displayed at the exhibition beginning from November 3. ASK Trade and Exhibitions Private Limited is organising the fourth international exposition on “Leathertech Bangladesh 2016”. More than 250 exhibitors from 15 countries, including Turkey, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Italy, Singapore, Japan and India will participate in the event. They will showcase machinery for tanning leather, manufacturing footwear and leather goods along with components, dyes and chemicals, accessories, allied products and leather. The exhibition will have a wide range of machinery and components and parts on display helping all sectors to source and witness the latest technology, according to the organisers. Besides, the exhibition would reflect on investment towards expansion, modernisation and capacity building of the leather sector in the country, they added. The leather sector is the second-largest contributor to national exports after ready- made garment. The country has set an export target of US$ 5.0 billion of the sector by 2020. Bangladesh now exports only 0.5 per cent of the global leather and leather goods market worth $215 billion, according to industry insiders. The country exported leather and leather goods worth $1.13 billion in the fiscal year (FY) 2014-15, which was $1.12 billion a year earlier, according to export promotion bureau (EPB). Italy, the United Kingdom (UK), Belgium, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, Poland, the United States (US) and Canada are the main leather and leather goods export destinations.
