International leather fair attracts higher foreign participants

30 January 2008

Chennai: Around 400 exhibitors will be showcasing the products and services at the 23rd India International Leather Fair organised jointly by the Council for Leather Exports and India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) commencing at Chennai from tomorrow.

Dr V.Krishnamurthy, chairman, National Manufacturing Competitive Council, will inaugurate the four-day event, This year, the event has attracted 133 overseas participants. According to Rajiv Yadav, executive director, ITPO, there are 24 participants from Italy followed by 20 exhibitors from Germany, 10 from Pakistan, nine from Thailand, seven and six from China and Mexico respectively.

Mukhtarul Amin, chairman and managing director, Superhouse Leathers Limited, who is the chairman of the Council for Leather Exports, says this year's event has attracted a large number of buyers from Europe, Africa, North America.

On the exhibition will be a comprehensive range of products and services relating to leather industry-footwear and footwear components, leather garments, fashion accessories, leather goods like travelware, purses, wallets, belts- machinery for tanning, shoe making, dryers, chemicals, stitching/sewing machines and others.

Queried about the impact on the leather exports with rupee hardening against the US dollar Amin said, "The exports increased by 9 per cent in dollar terms in rupee terms it has gone down by 3 per cent."

In the current fiscal April-September 2007, exports reached $1.66 billion as against the previous year's performance of $1.51 billion.