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At present, there are about 220 tannery units [Both Members & Non Members] under Bangladesh Tanner’s Association [BTA] and they use locally available raw hides and skins. Of them more than 100 are large and medium units (by local standards) and more than 150 are registered with the Directorate of Industries. Bangladesh produces approximately 100-150 million sq feet per year of raw hides and skins, about 85% of which is exported in crust and finished form. The rest is used for producing leather goods to cater to the domestic market. Leather is a traditional export item of Bangladesh. On May 11th, 2009, the convocation ceremony of the newly elected Executive Members of “Bangladesh Tanners Association [BTA]” has been held, with a vision in mind to develop as well as strengthen the TANNING INDUSTRY. BTA was involved in developing the project idea thus the concept note and staying in regular contact with SEQUA and other partners and report about the activities of its responsibility. BTA is mobilizing its members and utilizing its networks. Overall, we are actively participating and supporting our common project SWITCH Asia Re-Tie Bangladesh.
Md. Shaheen Ahmed |
In the year 1940, a person named R.P Saha has set the first leather industry of Bangladesh near Narayangonj area. It was later shifted to Hazaribagh area of Dhaka, which is now becoming the prime zone of leather industry in Bangladesh. During the period before Partition of Bengal (1947), almost all the raw hides and skins available in East Bengal were exported to west Bengal, particularly to Kolkata and processed there. Till 1960, tanneries of former East Pakistan used to process raw hides and skins applying salt and then drying them in the sun. During the war of liberation in 1971 the non-Bengali tanners of Bangladesh left the country abandoning about 30 tannery units owned by them. After the war, the new government of Bangladesh vested the management of these units on a newly formed Tannery Corporation, which was expected to convert them into finished leather manufacture units. Later, the government relinquished the Tannery Corporation and handed over the management of most of these tanneries to Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC). In 1982, the government transferred them to private entrepreneurs.
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