South Africa sees opportunities in exotic leather market
South Africa is well place to capitalise on trends in the international luxury and exotic leather market and develop a world-class local exotic leather industry, according to Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies.
“The global luxury market is now recovering from the financial crisis and is again showing untapped growth potential in terms of economic growth and local job creation”, said Mr Davies, who was speaking at the 24th Working Meeting of the Crocodile Specialist Group in Skukuza‚ Mpumalanga.
“This ranges across the entire value chain‚ from initial stakeholders such as producers and tanneries to final export-ready leathergoods as well as specialised animal husbandry skills to design and leather craft skills‚” he added.
The minister said that the South African government had taken positive steps to safeguard the commercial value of leathergoods within the country and insisted that recent policy‚ micro economic reforms and strategic interventions had reversed stagnation in the footwear, leather, ostrich leather and crocodile leather sectors.
Mr Davies also pointed to establishment of a national cluster and four regional clusters for improving competitiveness and collaboration within the leather industry. He added that the formation of the Exotic Leather Sub-National Cluster in 2015 had helped ensure sustainability of the industry‚ conservation of wild populations‚ care for the environment‚ compliance with animal welfare requirements as well as allowing the industry to meet economic expectations.
