Leather exports booming

Press, 23 October 1984, Page 37

Leather exports booming

PA Wellington Leather exports have increased dramatically, from $1 million in 1970 to a record $lOl million by June this year, and are still increasing. The president of the Tanner’s Association, Mr Hector Ombler, said this made the tanning industry one of the country’s top manufacturing export earners.

“With more than 50 per cent of the total production exported, the tanning industry provides one of the highest export returns per person employed when compared with other manufacturing industries,” he said. “New Zealand is earning an international reputation as a supplier of top quality leather, and has built up a sound base for further development.”

New Zealand’s reliance on animal production would continue to provide hides and skins as a sound base for tannery development, he said. Each year about 45 million lamb and sheepskins wfere available for processing, providing a major resource which he believed should be developed as domestically based cloth Bing, tannery and manufacturing activities in-

creased. “World supply of leather is unlikely to grow in proportion to the international demand, and this places New Zealand in a favourable position,” he said. “When one considers that exports of raw hides and skins were valued at SISSM in the June, 1983, year, the potential for further processing by New Zealand tanners is enormous.”