Total Chinese exports fell by 22.8 percent in April compared with 2008, according to customs officials from that country, with a total value of $91.9 billion. Some sectors showed growth, though. Footwear, one of the labor-intensive categories that improved, saw exports increase by 3.8 percent to $2.06 billion.
In Vietnam, leather footwear and leathergoods dropped in the first three months of 2009, with exports worth just over $1 billion, down from $1.2 billion in the same period last year. The country’s General Statistics Office broke down the figures into leather footwear, worth $915 million, and leathergoods, $160 million. These represented decreases of 11.9 percent and 6.4 percent respectively.
March was particularly bad, with a 21 percent drop in leather footwear exports to $260 million and a 16.7 percent drop in leathergoods to $50 million in that month alone.
Bangladesh did not fare any better. For the nine months ended last March 31, its total exports of leather products showed a drop of 12.7 percent to $296.7 million. Experts have blamed a decrease in finished leather exports, which are down by 34.6 percent to $139.2 million. Footwear, however, is enjoyed an increase in exports, growing by almost 20 percent to $144.7 million. For the full year ending next June 30, Bangladesh is expecting exports worth $526.1 million, up from $462.8 million for the year that ended in June 2008.