The renovation of the existing Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in Savar's leather industry city will cost double the cost. Therefore, a new CETP will be built there, Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir has said. He said that it will be built in a transparent process through a world-class organization.
Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said this at a policy dialogue titled 'Progress in Bangladesh's Leather Sector: Challenges, Opportunities and Reforms' at the BRAC Center Inn in Mohakhali, the capital, on Thursday (September 3, 2026). The program was organized by the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir was the chief guest. SANEM Executive Director Selim Raihan presided over the event. Apex Footwear Managing Director Syed Nasim Manjur spoke at the event.
The Commerce Minister said, 'The decision to shift to Savar was there, but the process was not good. Although 25,000 cubic meters of waste is supposed to be treated through CETP, 14 to 15,000 cubic meters of waste can be treated. But to fix it, it will cost twice as much. We have conducted a study from an Italian company. A restructuring plan has also been taken from the Chinese government. So a new CETP will be set up there.’
Syed Nasim Manjur said in the meeting, ‘Currently, the leather sector is exporting $1.7 billion. We want to increase it to $5 billion by 2030. For that, we need to provide easy bond facilities. We need 23 certificates to do business here. But in Vietnam, only four are needed. We need to make business easier. And first of all, CETP needs to be fixed.’ He also said that there are many employment opportunities in this sector.
Earlier, in the main article, Sanem Executive Director Selim Raihan said, ‘About 46 percent of our leather exports are dependent on the Chinese market. 65 percent of the total exports are low-value leather. Therefore, international certification, coordinated initiatives and partnerships are needed to increase exports.
In the meeting, entrepreneurs from the leather sector highlighted various problems. The managing director of Abedin Group said that no plan will be useful if CETP is not implemented. Nasir Khan, managing director of Janis Group, said that this sector has been destroyed due to political reasons. Why do we have to renew the license every year?
Another businessman, Ibnul Wara, demanded that the visa system be simplified to bring skilled manpower from abroad for technical work in this sector. Ziaur Rahman, managing director of Bay Group, also complained that he has not been getting gas even after paying the bill for three months.
Source: Online/LTec
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