Bags / Shoes & Accessories

According to industry insiders in Bangladesh, exports of Bangladeshi leather products reached their highest level in 10 years in the just-concluded fiscal year 2021-2022 as orders were transferred from competitors to Bangladesh. Leather goods importing countries have reduced their imports to China and other leather goods producing countries during the new crown epidemic, and Bangladesh's leather goods exports in the 2021-2022 fiscal year reached a record 1.245 billion US dollars.

According to the Bangladesh Export Promotion Agency, Bangladesh’s leather products exports in fiscal year 2012-2013 were only US$979 million, the lowest in the past decade. In the 2016-2017 fiscal year, Bangladesh's leather goods exports were US$1.234 billion, close to the record just set.

Ziaur Rahman, general manager of Bay Footwear, said that due to the new crown epidemic, especially during the second wave of the epidemic in 2021, some orders were transferred from Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia to Bangladesh. Ziaur Rahman then said that export growth could slow in the coming quarters as the main buyer of Meng leather goods is from the United States, where inflation has risen sharply.

According to Shaheen Ahamed, chairman of the Bangladesh Tanners Association, international buyers have raised the retail price of leather products by 20-25%, thus having a positive impact on export earnings. There are about 60 local leather products companies in Bangladesh, including Apex Footwear, Jennys Shoes and Bay Footwear. Their products are mainly exported to Japan, the European Union, and some of them are exported to the United States. Leather products are one of the top three industries with the highest export revenue in Bangladesh.