Figures for the first four months of 2024 show that, while overall hide exports from the US are down in volume and value, wet blue exports continue to grow. By Leatherbiz.

Tanners, traders and packers from the US exported a total of just over 9 million hides in the January-April period this year. This brought in export revenues of $370.3 million.

Compared to the same period last year, these figures represent a fall in volume of 6.5% and a decline in value of 1.5%.

Shipments of wet-salted hides fell by 10% in volume and by 11% in value year on year.

Exports of wet blue, on the other hand, increased substantially compared to the first four months of 2023. This year’s figures showed an increase of 26% in volume and of 22% in value.

Vietnam imported more than 475,000 wet blue hides from the US from January-April 2024, paying $136 million for them. These figures represent an increase of 108% in volume and of 107% in value.