Description
The project has been conceived in accordance with the priorities of the Government of Bangladesh for trade development and has its origins in the outcome of the Round Table on the Integrated Framework (IF) where the export development of the leather sector was pointed out as a strategic consideration for reducing the risky dependence of the country's economy on the ready-made garments industry. The overall objective of the project is to increase exports of leather products, thus contributing to sustainable export diversification and consequent employment generation through trade-related capacity development. The pivotal element of the project is the creation of a "Bangladesh Leather Service Centre" for the industry, focusing in particular on added-value products, such as footwear and leather goods. The Centre, under the aegis of the Leather Sector Business Promotion Council (LSBPC) will be run with a commercial orientation in order to ensure its self-sustainability. It will encompass a number of interlinked activity clusters, namely: product design & development, training, quality testing and certification, market information, international promotion and partnership development, and financial guidance. Pilot marketing actions will be undertaken which will lead to partnership development between Bangladeshi producers and overseas buyers/distributors. It is expected that the beneficiary small and medium-sized exporting enterprises will expand their niche share in their existing markets and penetrate new markets. The objective of the project is also to assist small producers to gradually become direct exporters.