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Apart from garment items, the leather and leather goods sector has been considered as one of the most important sectors having potential in the current fiscal year. The commerce ministry set the export target at $1.09 billion from receipts of $1.01 billion last fiscal year.

Leather and leather goods was the second highest earning sector after garments. Only leather and leather goods sector could exceed the one billion US dollar-mark after garment items last fiscal year. Replying to queries of journalists, Islam said the government has been providing incentives to some sectors like leather, footwear, plastic goods and light engineering to encourage product diversification. The government has already taken a project to diversify the export basket, he said.

While Mohammad Ali Khokon, president of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, was talking about the problems and prospects of the primary textile sector, Islam said the ministry would hold a separate meeting with businesspeople to know of their comments for taking future course of action.

If the current trend of export continues, it is very much possible to achieve the export target of $60 billion by the end of 2021, said Islam.