Leather exports up about 10% in July

India's leather exports grew by about 10 per cent to $176 million in July year-on-year, thanks to increasing demand from the US and European markets.

The leather exports industry, which employs 2.5 million people, shipped out goods worth $160 million in July last fiscal.

"We are getting good number of orders for items like footwear and leather garments from the US and European markets," Council for Leather Exports Executive Director Ali Ahmed Khan said.

During April-July 2010-11, leather exports grew by 12.74 per cent to $937.02 million compared to the same period last fiscal.

The EU and the US account for 60 per cent and 20 per cent respectively, of the India's total leather exports.

To reduce dependence on western markets, the exporters have been exploring new destinations, especially Turkey, Jordan, Africa and Latin America, East Asia and the Middle East.

During 2009-10, leather exports declined by 5.51 per cent to $3.4 billion compared to the previous fiscal.