According to the latest data by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), during the first nine months of the current fiscal year* the value of Pakistan’s leather manufactures exports increased by 6.66% compared to similar period in the previous year. During the period July 2020 - March 2021, the country exported goods in this segment with a total value of 427.73 million US dollars compared to exports worth 401.03 million US dollars registered in the first nine months of the preceding fiscal year.

The same source indicated that exports of tanned leather in the same period totalled revenue of 113.32 million US dollars, which compares to 151.34 million US dollars in similar period in the previous year (a decline of 25.12%).

Footwear

In the same period 13.29 million pairs were sent abroad, resulting in exports revenue of 98.98 million US dollars. This translates in an increase of 14.97% in volume and a decline of 5.15% in value. In the same period exports of leather footwear represented 82.6% of the total value of exports of footwear. Sales abroad of this type of footwear declined by 7.40% in value, but increased by 8.53%, from similar period in 2020. Exports of canvas footwear and other footwear increased both in volume and value.

Pakistan Footwear Industry

The Pakistani footwear industry, the 8th largest in the world, is primarily geared to the internal market. The industry is mostly concentrated in the province of Punjab. According to the World Footwear 2020 Yearbook (AVAILABLE HERE), in 2019 both its imports and exports decreased. The country’s trade surplus increased as a result. Pakistan imports predominantly textile footwear from China. Its exports, on the other hand, are widely spread geographically.

Image credits: Aron Yigin on Unsplash

* Pakistan’s financial year runs from July to June