Mexican leather industry shows signs of decline
According to the Mexico City daily newspaper, el Economista, output of the country’s textile, leather and clothing industries declined 8.7% year-on-year in July - the tenth straight month of decline since September 2000.
In July, a total of 177,094 people worked in the textile, clothing and leather industries – 17,094 fewer than in July 2000. Salomon Pressburguer, president of the National Chamber of the Clothing Industry, said he did not expect the situation to improve significantly in the short term. However, the Economy ministry was drawing up proposals to tackle the problem of contraband merchandise – one of the main causes of the industry’s current problems. "It looks like we're in a fix, and we'll have to see how we begin to stop falling," he said, referring to the jobs lost in the clothing industry.
