Pakistan’s leather industry is celebrating its biggest achievement in 10 years after exceeding the target export figures for 2003 – 2004 - reaching $723 million instead of the expected $715 million.

The Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PLGMEA) stated this is a 4% increase over last year’s exports which had been valued at $695 million.

The exporting of leather gloves has been the best performer with figures totaling $70 million, a massive increase of 23% on last year.  Tanned leather experienced a 3.46% increase, hitting $243 million, while leather footwear increased by 4.6% to $77 million.

Mr. Fawad Ijaz Khan, Chairman of PLGMEA, said that to have even further success, Pakistan needs to continue importing large amounts of leather as well, as the availability of local hides and skins has become increasingly limited. At present, approximately $30 million – 40 million of leather is imported by leather garment exporters, with the majority of it shipped in from Middle Eastern and African countries.

The PLGMEA are confident the international marketing campaign which is currently being used to promote Pakistan’s leather export industry will push next year’s figures to $350 million.

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