Colombia’s president, Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, has said a government study into the leather industry will lead to restrictions on the amount of raw material and wet blue that will be available for export.
Local media have suggested that a maximum of 12,000 tonnes of raw hides and skins per month will be allowed to leave the country and a maximum of 27,000 tonnes of wet blue. The study put Colombia’s total output at 48,000 tonnes of leather and hides (estimated at 160,000 pieces) per month.
Colombia’s most prominent finished leather goods manufacturer, Mario Hernández, who has previously criticised the lack of local raw material available to manufacturers, welcomed the news. “We’ve been waiting for action of this kind for more than 20 years,” he said. “Now it’s time for everyone in the industry to stop complaining and work hard to compete by making high-quality products.”
Source: http://www.leatherbiz.com//fullitem2.aspx?id=131991