Leather industrial estate ready for Eid, overhauling costs Tk1.16cr

Highlights

• Target sets for 1 crore pieces of rawhide collection 
• Dual source dedicated power connection for uninterrupted supply
• 3 cos allowed for raw-cutting export to reduce wastages pressure

Almost 60% of the country's total demand for leather is collected during Eid ul-Azha every year, this year also the tanners at Savar's Bscic Tannery Industrial Estate have taken all-out preparations to process rawhides of sacrificial animals.

However, Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) authority and the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industry Corporation (Bscic) have already taken all-out preparation to handle additional pressure during Eid.

Mustak Ahmed, deputy secretary (Bscic) of the Industries Ministry and managing director of Dhaka Tannery Industrial Estate Waste Treatment Plant Company Ltd, told The Business Standard (TBS), "We have completed all-out preparation to handle the extra pressure during Eid."

"Overhauling work of CETP, washing the tanks, overhauling various machinery, and replacing faulty parts have already been done. Besides, a pond was dug to remove wastage."

Bangladesh Tanners Association has set a target of collecting 1 crore pieces of rawhides from cows, buffaloes, and goats this year

Md Mahfujur Rahman Rijwan, the executive engineer of Bscic Tannery Industrial Estate, told TBS that "We made an arrangement for dual source power connections for CETP to tackle untoward power outages. Through these, an uninterrupted power supply will be ensured."

Md Mahfujur, also chief engineer of Dhaka Tannery Industrial Estate Wastage Treatment Plant Company Limited, said this year, most of the overhauling expenditure will be spent on the renovation of CETP machinery. 

The CETP authority has fixed the expenditure of Tk1.16 crore for 15 sectors, including chemical supply, pond digging, and CETP overhauling. They also repaired the out-of-service generators.

During the last year's Eid, the closure of the Effluent Pumping Stations (EPS) due to load shedding led to overflows of liquid waste from tanneries at the industrial estate and being littered directly into the river.

Md Golam Qadir, deputy general manager of Dhaka Palli Bidyut Samity-3, told TBS, "Dual sources of electricity supply have been dedicated for the CETP so that even if one source fails, power remains uninterrupted from the other source."

Meanwhile, the board of directors of Dhaka Tannery Industrial Estate Wastage Treatment Plant Company Limited gave a nod to three companies to export raw cutting. The companies are Anjuman Trading Corporation, Ayub Brothers Tannery, and Bengal Pelly.

Basically, the parts of rawhides including ears, and feet, which are usually cut off by the tanneries, are considered as raw cutting. The quantity of this raw cutting is about 50% of the total waste. 

Mustak Ahmed, MD of the Wastage Treatment Plant Company, told TBS that it earns foreign exchange, and also reduces the pressure on our waste management system.

Md Mizanur Rahman, vice chairman of Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA), told TBS that Anjuman Trading exported more than 2,000 tonnes of raw cuttings to Vietnam and Cambodia.

Md Sakhawat Ullah, general secretary of BTA, and owner of Salma Tannery, said the three companies who got permission to export of raw cuttings will pay Tk2,000 per tonne to the CETP authorities.

He said this sector is expected to export worth $1.5 billion in the upcoming fiscal year which was $1.12 billion in the last 11 months.