Fall in orders from Russia hurts Turkey
11/05/2009
The organisers of the Istanbul Leather Fashion Fair, which will be held between May 14 and 16, have said that they believe the event can offer a degree of hope to companies in the country’s leather sector.
They expect almost 50 companies to take part in this third edition of the event. Ramazan Hazar, chairman of the Association of Turkish Leather Manufacturers, explained in the build-up to the exhibition that the leather industry in Turkey goes as far back as the twelfth century, but that efforts to modernise it began in the 1970s.
He said Turkish leather was now famous for its quality and had an important place on the global industry map. However the industry has been suffering since the beginning of this year.
“All hopes are tied to the second half of the year,” he said and he called on the government to do more to help the industry.
So far in 2009, orders have declined by around 30%, he said. “We have not been getting any orders from Russia,” he said. All eyes in the industry are on a successful show to give Turkish leather a boost.
Share this story:
