Sanjay Leekha, MD, Alpine Apparels, Faridabad took charge as Chairman of Council for Leather Exports (CLE). Earlier he was the Vice-Chairman of CLE.
Dedicated to increase the export of leather goods, under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, CLE is working in multi-directions.
It organised 12 virtual Buyer Seller Meets/B2B events during 2020-21 in more than 17 countries and has planned about 20 events which include participation in VC/Hybrid international exhibitions, 2 BSMs, 2 Reverse BSMs (Delhi and Kolkata) and one Designers Fair.
Besides, CLE also plans to organise Virtual BSMs/Webinars in USA, Israel, Guatemala and Germany in co-ordination with Indian Missions concerned, on self-financing basis.
Notably, during 2020-21, the pandemic impact caused a 27.72 per cent decline in export of leather, leather products and footwear from India.
Commenting on the future of leather export, Sanjay said, “We are back on the growth track with exports from our sector showing impressive resurgence during 2021-22. Export of leather, leather products and footwear increased from US $ 146.79 million in April–May 2020 to US $ 641.72 million in April–May 2021, registering 337.17 per cent growth. This is a very good beginning for us, which we hope to sustain in the coming months, as India is viewed as a favourite sourcing and investment destination.”
He further added “I look forward to working closely with all stakeholders in the industry including all product segments and institutions so as to achieve overall growth and development.”
