EDB’s 7th Footwear & Leather show surges with new Middle Eastern orders

Tuesday, 10 February 2015 00:59 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Industry expresses satisfaction; F&L exports double, surge to $110 m Sri Lanka’s seventh annual Footwear and Leather Fair organised by the EDB has garnered strong local and international buyer interest and for the first time, buyers from a wider Middle Eastern region are entering the Lankan market. “We are happy about this year’s fair and its success. International inquiries and even orders came mainly from Pakistan, Nepal, India and the Middle East; they were looking for casual footwear as well as industrial and safety shoe supplies,” said Ceylon Leather Products PLC MD/CEO and Footwear and Leather Fair Organising Committee Chairman Sithendra Senaratne yesterday at the BMICH. The event, which closed yesterday, was supported by the Industrial Development Board (IDB) and Sri Lanka Footwear and Leather Products

Manufacturers’ Association (SLFLPM), as well as other industry stakeholders. Export revenues from the F&L sector witnessed steady growth over the years. Total exports of F&L in 2010 which stood at $35.64 m have tripled to $110 m in 2014, which is also a YoY growth of 215% over 2013 values. The leading three markets for Sri Lanka’s leather products are Germany, Canada and Spain while Australia, Vietnam and Italy lead for footwear products. Senaratne added: “The response of the general public has been very great, especially over the weekend. All the stalls of the fair have been full. Most of our small and medium sized enterprises have come here to network and link with the market and they experienced great success. When it comes to buyer inquiries, many foreign delegates have shown serious interest in comparison to previous years. Local buyer interest is mainly due to new manufacturing to be done in March for the forthcoming New Year season. It is too early to indicate any order values or amounts but we are seeing strong orders. “As for foreign participants, they praised this year’s Fashion Show for its professional outlook. Nepal especially wants more supplies from Sri Lanka due to zero duty for such imports from Sri Lanka. In fact this year we saw one of the strongest Nepali teams to come. Also, for the first time we see much bigger and wider Middle Eastern orders from the more Middle Eastern countries-from UAE, Qatar, Jordan and even Iran. Iran is seriously inquiring for the first time.” The fair began on 6 February and ended on Sunday with a Designer Awards Ceremony.