Indian leather and footwear exports buck trend
India’s leather and footwear sectors defied the general downturn seen in the country’s exports during the April to August 2002 period, according to an official source in Kolkata.
Saddlery and harness exports, for example, grew considerably by 33.7% to $19.5 million. Finished leather exports were up 9.36% to $262.5 million, leather goods went up 3.3% to $207.1 million, leather footwear exports increased 6.8% to $179.7 million and non-leather footwear exports went up by 21.1% to $11.3 million. This was in marked contrast to the wider picture, which saw exports decline by 4.48% to $814.7 million from $852.9 million the year previous.
The only two leather and footwear sectors to follow the national trend were leather garments and footwear components, which fell 35.7% and 14.1% respectively to $121.8 million and $84.7 million.
The global economic slowdown following 9/11 was blamed for the downturn in India’s exports.
