The Hindu Business Line : Tatas to help upgrade Bengal in leather training

The State Government has a plan to revive the State's leather industry with the objective of positioning it to become number one leather products exporting State in the country.

Kolkata , Jan. 19

Responding to the call of the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattachjee, the Tata Group has agreed to help update teaching processes of the State's leather training institute.

This is considered a major breakthrough towards creating adequate highly skilled manpower for the industry which is set to grow at a fast pace to become one of the major players in the international leather market. This was highlighted here on Friday by Mr Bhattacherjee.

Tanning complex

Encouraged by the response from investors to set up leather products manufacturing units at the newly built Calcutta Leather Complex at Bantala, Mr Bhattacherjee said that the Government has decided to build a leather tanning complex at Panjipara in West Dinajpur district primarily to tan raw hide. This complex, which is to come up under public private partnership (PPP) model at in investment of about Rs 30 crore in two phases, would cater to meet the future requirement of tanned hide in the State.

Inaugurating the LEXPO XXXI, organised by Indian Leather Technologists' Association (ILTA), the Chief Minister said that the State Government has a plan to revive the State's leather industry with the objective of positioning it to become number one leather products exporting State in the country.

Domestic share

He claimed that the State already positions itself as number one producer in the country with about 55 per cent share of the total domestic production. He lamented that the State is lagging behind in exports. Its share is about 25 per cent of the country's total exports of leather products.

The Chief Minister said that the Bantala complex, which is claimed to be the largest leather complex in Asia, is at the final stage of completion. The complex would be able to accommodate about 600 units.

Meanwhile, about 200 tanneries are expected to commence their production within a few months, of which more than a hundred have started operations.

Though West Bengal is already exporting to the US, the Chief Minister asked exporters to penetrate the markets of Russia and other European countries.

He reiterated that next to the development of sectors such as iron & steel sector, petrochemical products and food processing, the State Government has decided to give priority to develop leather industry.

In fact, it prefers to develop leather units in the small and medium scale sectors.

More Stories on : Leather | West Bengal | Human Resources

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