Brazil hopeful of leather export growth in 2010
19/01/2010
Exports of hides and leather from Brazil in 2009 had a total value of $1.16 billion, a 38% drop on the year before when the sector brought in $1.88 billion in export revenues. The figures were released by the Brazilian Tanners Council (CICB) on January 19.
The organisation pointed out that, while the year’s figures overall were down, sales of hides and leather in December reached $132.4 million, up by 38% on December 2008.
In 2009, the leather sector accounted for 0.8% of Brazil’s total export revenues.
CICB president, Wolfgang Goerlich, said on announcing the figures: “As well as the global economic crisis affecting Brazilian tanneries, another factor affecting our competitiveness was, without doubt, the value of the Brazilian real against the dollar.”
For 2010, Mr Goerlich has predicted exports of $1.4 billion for the industry, which would represent a rise of 27%.
He said that the Brazilian leather sector currently employs around 50,000 people and is worth a total of $3.5 billion to the country’s economy.
Share this story:
