Kazakhstan’s leather exports reached $2.4m for five months of 2021, which was 73.3% higher than in the same period last year, reported the country’s Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development.
“The volume of production of leather for the first six months of 2021 amounted to 54 million square meters. dm, which is 15.2% higher than the same period last year. In the local market, domestic leather is purchased in small quantities by domestic manufacturers of footwear products (mainly for military and special shoes) and leather goods (bags, belts), the rest is exported,” a ministry statement said.
According to the QazIndustry National company, enterprises for the tanning and dressing of leather are located in 11 regions. Most of the enterprises are located in Shymkent. Some companies are located in Almaty, Kostanai, Zhambyl, Aktobe, Kyzylorda, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan regions, Nur-Sultan and Almaty.
The list of export countries includes China, India, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine and Spain.
According to InBusiness, last year, the situation was not optimistic. In 2019, the government restricted the export of raw hides aimed at the development of deep processing and the export of goods with high added value. This had the opposite effect as raw materials fell in price (roughly five times less than the original cost) without the option to sell abroad. This year, the situation has stabilised.
