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Abstract
In 1999-200, 'Bangladesh exported about 197.92 million sft. of leather and leather goods and earned about 249.93 million US dollar. The growth rate of leather export during 1981-82 to1989-90 and 1990-91 to 1999-2000 were 3.52% and 4.88%, respectively with an average of 4.14%.. It revealed that during 1990-91 to 1999-2000, the annual growth rate of leather goods and leather shoes were 22.03% and 31.17%, respectively. At present, the export consists of 60-65% crushed leather, 25-30% finished leather and 5-8% leather goods and leather shoes. Since 1947, many good proposals were made in government development plans and policies but a very few of them were materialised. Hides and skins are highly value-added resources of Bangladesh. The value additions are higher in 'crust' leather and 'finished' *leather by 40-45% and 80-100%, respectively than 'wet-blue' leather. This implied that there is a great potentiality .of doubling the foreign exchange earnings by value additions. But this sub-sector is beset with many problems. Those were: thickness and defects in hides and skins, slow modernisation process of tanneries, acute shortage of trained manpower, lack of Footwear Design and Development Institute and Bangladesh College of Leather technology and Leather Research Centre are not operative autonomously. To overcome those problems, establishment of 'Bangladesh Leather Development Council' is suggested.