Federation president fears for future of Tunisian le - leatherbiz: Lea Leatherbiz

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Federation president fears for future of Tunisian leather sector

30/07/2018
The president of Tunisia’s national leather and footwear federation, Akram Belhaj, has said the country’s leather and footwear sector is at risk of disappearing due to the country being “flooded” by imports.

Speaking to local media, Mr Belhaj said: “The sector is going through a difficult period and it is regretful that the government has not reacted.”

He added that high levels of imports mean Tunisian artisans and companies are struggling to find a market for their products. He called for more to be done to promote local products and suggested the implementation of a ‘Made in Tunisia’ label would help consumers differentiate between local products and cheap imports. 

According to Mr Belhaj, the Tunisian leather and footwear sector now has fewer than 200 companies, down from 480 in 2010. The number of artisans has dropped from 15,000 to 1,000 during the time, he added. 

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