DHAKA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- In continuation of the past nine years, the ninth edition of Bangladesh Leather and Footwear Expo started here Thursday.

The three-day exhibition took place at the International Convention City Bashundhara, with over 250 companies from home and abroad and their selected agents exhibiting their products and technologies.

In Bangladesh, the position of the leather industry is second only to the garment industry in earning foreign exchange. Bangladesh is the eighth largest footwear-producing country and the ninth-largest consumer market in the world.

There is also demand for various fancy products made of leather. There are a lot of handicraft companies in Bangladesh that manufacture these products and send them to the world market. In addition to the big companies, there are about 5,500 small footwear factories in the country.