Indian leather products such as footwear, garments and accessories will be showcased at a two-day exhibition beginning here on Tuesday. The event is being organised by India’s Council for Leather Exports, the Indian Embassy in United Arab Emirates (UAE), Consulate General of India, Dubai and India Trade & Exhibition Centre (ITEC) M.E, reports PTI. It will be inaugurated by Indian envoy in the UAE Anurag Bhushan in the presence of Padma Shri M Rafeeque Ahmed, Chairman, Council for Leather Exports and Sudesh K Aggarwal, Chairman ITEC M.E. The event on December 15-16 will focus on showcasing India’s finest leather & leather products ranging from finished leather, leather & non leather footwear, footwear components, leather garments, leather goods & accessories etc. The event has received wide support with more that 250 brands and companies who have registered to attend the event which includes top buyers and industry leaders. “Indian leather sector has been included as one of the ‘Focus Sectors’ under ‘Make in India’ Programme of the Prime Minister. A turnover target of USD 27 billion (as against present turnover of USD 12.5 billion) has been set for the leather industry under Make in India, which is to be achieved by 2020,” said M Rafeeque Ahmed. The tremendous growth potential offered by Indian leather industry both on export and domestic fronts, provides scope not only for sourcing high value leather products and footwear but also for joint ventures/technical collaborations etc. for UAE entrepreneurs. The Council for Leather Exports is the single largest and Apex trade promotion orgnisation of the strong and rapidly growing Indian leather & leather products industry. “The export of leather and leather products increased manifold over the past decades and touched USD 6.5 billion during 2014-15 recording a cumulative annual growth rate of about 13.10 per cent (5 years). “India’s export of leather and leather products to UAE increased from USD 69.05 million in the year 2009-10 to USD 284.06 million in the year 2014-15, growing at a CAGR rate of 32.69 per cent,” Ahmed said.
