title: “Bihar Holds Roundtable to Drive Investment at Mahwal Mega Leather Park” seo_description: “Bihar’s Department of Industries held a roundtable on 22 September 2026 to advance the Mahwal Mega Leather, Footwear & Accessories Park, engaging FDDI, IFCOMA, LSSC and footwear companies.” seo_tags: [“Bihar”, “Mahwal”, “leather park”, “footwear manufacturing”, “India”, “investment”] seo_slug: “bihar-roundtable-mahwal-mega-leather-park” source_url: “https://leathernews.org/bihar-holds-roundtable-with-leather-and-footwear-industry-to-drive-investment-at-mahwal-mega-park/”

Bihar Holds Roundtable to Drive Investment at Mahwal Mega Leather Park

Bihar is exploring new investment opportunities in the leather and footwear sector as the state government works to develop a manufacturing ecosystem around the Mega Leather, Footwear & Accessories Park at Mahwal in Muzaffarpur. The Department of Industries held a roundtable discussion on 22 September 2026 following an industry delegation’s visit to the park.

Representatives from the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI), the Indian Footwear Components Manufacturers Association (IFCOMA), the Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC) and several footwear and leather companies took part in the discussions. The meeting was chaired by Industries Minister Shreyasi Singh, who highlighted the state’s ongoing development of roads, industrial infrastructure, power supply and its investment approval system.

Singh said the Mahwal park could support the development of a manufacturing ecosystem and create employment opportunities in Bihar. Industries Department Secretary Kundan Kumar, IAS, added that the state is strengthening its infrastructure and policy ecosystem for large-scale manufacturing, noting that the Mahwal park offers dedicated industrial space and an opportunity to develop an integrated leather and footwear ecosystem.

The department is also engaging directly with industry representatives to understand their requirements and facilitate potential investments. According to those who attended, discussions covered manufacturing opportunities, skilled manpower, industrial infrastructure and expansion possibilities, among other topics.

For Bihar — a state better known for migration and agriculture than for industrial output — the Mahwal park represents a deliberate attempt to anchor a value-added manufacturing cluster close to both raw material and labour availability. The involvement of FDDI and the Leather Sector Skill Council signals that skills development is being treated as a prerequisite rather than an afterthought, a lesson drawn from other Indian leather hubs where workforce gaps have constrained growth.

If the roundtable translates into committed investment, the park could help redistribute India’s leather and footwear manufacturing beyond the traditional centres in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Kolkata, while giving Bihar a foothold in an export-oriented sector with strong global demand. The state’s pitch — infrastructure, policy support and a skilled-pipeline pipeline — will now be tested against the practical decisions of the companies that attended.

Source: Leather News (leathernews.org).