Within the framework of ILFS + EICI, organized by Acicam, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, through ProColombia, invited a delegation of 37 companies from Latin America and the Caribbean, to meet with about 150 Colombian exhibitors. [Mipymes de calzado y cuero buscarán nuevas exportaciones ... - El Nuevo Siglo]
For the 45th version of the International Footwear and Leather Show and 27th of the International Leather and Supplies Exhibition, organized by Acicam, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, through ProColombia, invited 37 buyers from eight countries.
Ecuador represents 67.5% of the mission, followed by Honduras (8.1%), Dominican Republic (8.1%), Costa Rica (5.4%), Guatemala (2.7%), Panama (2.7%), Peru (2.7%) and Puerto Rico (2.7%).
There, 19% of the invited buyers are new, which corresponds to seven companies from Ecuador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic. The products of greatest interest to these buyers are footwear for men, women, children and supplies for the industry.
Regarding the participation of buyers in the latest version of IFLS + EICI, carried out in August 2022, which was attended by 33 international companies, invited by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, through ProColombia, there is an increase of 12.12% compared to the February 2023 version.
"The production chain of leather, footwear and leather goods concentrates in Colombia about 28,000 formal companies. The main productive poles are Cundinamarca, Santander, Norte de Santander, Antioquia and Valle del Cauca. This showcase, which we work with a fundamental ally such as Acicam, allows us to open new export opportunities, in order to contribute to the popular economy and the positive impact in these regions," said Carmen Caballero, president of ProColombia.
The official added that "there are opportunities identified by ProColombia for the sector in more than 20 markets, where Caribbean islands, Chile, Costa Rica, Northern Triangle and Ecuador stand out."
For this version, IFLS+EICI will have the participation of 150 national exhibitors, of which 90% correspond to MSMEs. The offer is composed of manufacturers of footwear, leather goods, machinery and supplies. Likewise, these companies are located in 9 departments of the country, in a total of 18 municipalities. Of these municipalities, 8 have less than 200,000 inhabitants, which corresponds to 44% of the total.
These municipalities are Copacabana, La Estrella and Sabaneta in Antioquia, Mosquera in Cundinamarca, Piedecuesta in Santander, Santa Rosa de Cabal in Risaralda, Villa del Rosario in Norte de Santander and Yumbo in Valle del Cauca.
Among the buyers to highlight are two from Ecuador: Bata – Calzacuero, the largest buyer of Colombian footwear in that market, which has approximately 70 stores in Ecuador, and Andicalzado, a company specialized in the design and manufacture of industrial safety footwear and professional use, which comes to the fair in search of supplies, machinery and technology.
It is worth remembering that, between January and November 2022, footwear exports reached US $ 39.1 million, with a growth of 41.5%, compared to the same period of 2021. There, Ecuador, the United States, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, were the main buyers; while Bogotá, Antioquia, Santander, Valle del Cauca, Caldas and Norte de Santander were the most exporting departments.
On the side of exports of leather manufactures, these had an increase of 11.8%, registering US $ 50.1 million, according to DANE figures. The United States, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Guatemala were the main buyers of these products.
