China’s key leather exports and imports increase
According to the China Leather Industry Association, the export and import volumes for Chinese leather goods for the first nine months of the year, from January to September, show a marked increase. Exports increased by 14.1%, whilst imports rose by 23%.
The largest increase in exports in this sector was reported for fur garments – an increase of 823% - and leather tanning machinery. The amount of leather machinery exported rose to 10,000 sets (worth $7.96 million), an increase of 52.5% compared with the same period last year. Exports of leather shoes increased by 10.9% to reach 86.63 million pairs, whilst accessories and luggage rose by 20%. However, on the downside exports of hides, leather gloves and leather garments declined in the period. Hide exports dropped 96.3%, gloves fell 21.5% and leather garment exports decreased by 14.1% in the first nine months.
As far as imports are concerned, there was a distinct increase in the period from January to September – except for the machinery sectors, accessories, and sports equipment such as balls, all sectors showed a rise. As the Chinese market now demands high end hides and finished products, the country is seeing a steady increase in the imports of leather and leather goods.
Hide imports increased by 20.4% ($936.2 million) compared with the same period last year, leather rose 14.9% (to 2.52 billion), footwear accessories ($235.7 million) increased by 10.1%, leather garments grew by 15.4%, leather shoes by 46.6%, and leather gloves by a staggering 130.8%. Official statistics show that the total imports of leather-related goods amounted to $3.92 billion for the first nine months of 2004.
