US reports record hide, skin and leather exports in 2013
19/03/2014
At the same time, exports of wet blue increased in value by 27%, to reach $800 million, while exports of pigskin increased by 15% in value to reach $57 million. Since 2009, the US hide, skin and leather industry has increased the overall value of its exports by 90%.
In response to the figures, the president of the US Hide Skin and Leather Association (USHSLA), Stephen Sothmann, said: “The US continues to be the world’s preferred supplier of raw and semi-processed materials for leather production. Though the label may state ‘Made in China’ or ‘Made in Italy’, the hide or skin used to make the leather likely came from a Texas steer, a California dairy cow or an Iowa sow. Manufacturers throughout the world prefer to use US materials in their shoes, handbags, upholstery and automobiles.”
China maintained its status as the largest importer of US hides and skins. In 2013, the value of shipments of wet salted US hides to China increased by 23% to reach $1.1 billion, and wet blue exports rose in value by 7% to reach $282 million. Of all agricultural-sector exports from the US to China, hides and skins are the third-most important.
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