CLE India to use Al Hida'a to aggressively promote Indian leather goods

Aiming to consolidate the presence of Indian leather goods in several overseas markets, the Indian organisation's programme includes participating in 20 international fairs and organizing Buyer-Seller meetings in 17 countries.

At the tenth edition of Al Hida'a, the Middle East's only dedicated leather industry event, CLE will head a pavilion of some ten leather companies from India.

'CLE India has actively supported Al Hida'a exhibition since its inception,' said Mr. Mubarak Balaswad, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah. 'The exhibition,' he continued, 'has regularly enjoyed a large presence of Indian companies, and many Indian brands in finished leather products as well as leather materials and accessories have entered the GCC's markets through the show. '

'We are confident that Al Hida'a, which is the annual meeting ground of the Middle East and international leather industry, will continue to play its role as a gateway to the MENA markets for Indian and other international suppliers,' he concluded.

Besides India, Al Hida'a has companies participating from Iran, India, Korea, Pakistan, Thailand and UAE. The exhibition features the entire range of footwear, finished leather products, tanned leather products, tanned leather, components and accessories.

The show will be open for trade, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm everyday from 27 to 30 September, 2003.

Global leather trade slows down in 2002-2003
Commenting on the overall slowing down in the global trade of leather products in 2002-2003, Mr. S. Audiseshiah, CLE's Executive Director pointed out that though the recession has not had a major impact on the main markets of the US, Germany and a few other European countries, the effect has been more severe on leather garments. The overall global import of leather garments itself is estimated to be at least 10-15 percent below the previous year's value. In the US alone, the decline is recorded to be more than 10 percent.

Speaking on the decline in imports of leather shoe uppers, he noted that importers in the European countries are preferring to import full shoes rather than importing shoe uppers and then making them into full shoes. In fact, he said, some of the large shoe conversion units in Europe, particularly in Portugal and Spain etc., are being closed down on account of increasing labour costs.

Looking back, CLE's Executive Director said that the global trade in leather has increased from US$ 4 billion in 1972 to US$ 78 billion in 2001 and India's current share in this is 2.47%. With the exclusion of non-leather footwear, this is slightly higher at 3.16%. The composition of export of leather and leather products from India has undergone a structural change during the last three decades, from export of raw hides and skins in the sixties to that of value added products in the nineties, he further pointed out.