Exports of leather fell by nearly 30% this year, deputy head of the Association of Leather Producers and Exporters, Mohammad Lahouti, said on Saturday. “Iran’s leather industry has great potential, which must be exploited; otherwise the industry will be in the doldrums,” he was quoted by ILNA as saying. The 100-year-old leather industry in Iran is facing a multitude of challenges ranging from out-dated machinery to high tariffs on import of machinery and raw material, lack of investments, and the abundance of smuggled products in the market.
