05 Apr 2016

 The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Vincent Seretse says the leather Industry Park is a complex and specialised facility accommodating a common effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) shared by many tanneries.

“During our visit to India, the delegation appreciated first-hand experience about the development and implementation of a successful leather industry in India, taking into account the environmental issues related to the type of industry,” he said.

He said the delegation also appreciated the challenges associated with the development of the leather industry in India, and also witnessed where the operations of the CETP, individual tanneries, footwear, leather goods, upholstery and garment factories that the envisaged leather project in Botswana could embark.

The visitors also gathered business intelligence on suitable cleaner process technologies and environmentally friendly options for effluent disposal in view of the Botswana situation.

With regard to the specific timelines of the development of the project, from the construction to its commissioning, Mr Seretse said a full capacity of the leather park would produce about 9 300m2 of finished leather per day, adding that some leather would be used locally, while about 80% would be exported as finished leather.

“The project was initially planned to commence in April 2016 and be completed by September 2017, with full scale commercial production scheduled for January 2018,” he said.

He however said the project was behind schedule due to delays arising from preliminary preparations for the project, adding that such preparations included procurement of the technical advisor and the environmental impact assessment.

“The project is now scheduled to start in April 2017, with full scale commercial production planned to commence in January 2019,” he said.

The Member of Parliament for Kanye South, Mr Abram Kesupile had wanted the minister to state what the visit to India by his ministry had achieved regarding the intention to establish a leather factory in Lobatse, what form and condition the leather would be when ready for export.

He had also wanted the minister to state with specific timelines the development of this project, from construction to its commissioning.  Ends