Tunisia’s leather and footwear industry faces tough times
23/02/2018
During the event, leather and footwear professionals discussed the daily struggles they encounter and offered insight into the future prospects for these industries.
Local media reports that there was unanimous agreement that the Tunisian leather and footwear sector is going through a very difficult time and that a number of companies are at risk of having to close.
They gave a number of reasons for the current situation. These included: unregulated imports of shoes into the domestic market; a lack of checks related to the quality of imported finished and semi-finished products; Tunisia’s tax system; and unfair competition from footwear and leather products illegally imported by second-hand stores.
Several participants called for the government to enforce a law banning the sale of second-hand footwear.
Among the concerns mentioned by those from the leather industry were: the high price of raw materials as a result of a drop in the value of the Tunisian Dinar; and a fall in the number of leather artisans in the country due to a lack of adequate training programmes.
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