Tunisia’s footwear and leather and exports of posted a growth of 12.4% in the first eight months of the current year, increasing from $436.5 million in 2010 to $490.4 million 2011.

Imports increased by 7.2%, reaching $307.6 million from $286.9 million in the same period last year.

According to the National Leather and Footwear Centre, the growth in the sector’s exports is due to the good performance of footwear. Italy is the first Tunisian customer with $229.8 million, or 46.8% of the overall exports. France is second with 30% and Germany is third with 10.8%.

However, exports to Spain fell by 20.3% in the first eight months of 2011. Similarly, exports to Hong Kong declined by 3.2%.

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