Leather Research Industry get-together from Jan 28

To come out with white paper on growth path

A white paper on challenges and the growth path for the Indian leather industry will be brought out during the 40th Leather Research Industry Get-Together (LERIG) 2006, to be held in Chennai from January 28-30.

Addressing a press conference along with representatives of leather industry associations and K Elangovan, executive director of Council for Leather Exports, T Ramasami, director, Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), said that LERIG, over the last six years, came out with recommendations for action plans to be taken in the forthcoming years. This year, the event will come out with a white paper on the growth path for the industry, he added.

To face challenges in the sector, the LERIG 2006 will focus on 'global repositioning of Indian leather products'. A satellite session of the LERIG 2006 will be held at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi on January 27.

The LERIG 2006 will dwell on various aspects of leather products, integrating domestic and international markets based on the model drawn from the textiles sector, and on design engineering, among others. After the LERIG 2006, the 21st India International Leather Fair 2006 will be held on January 31, 2006, in Chennai.

Providing a summary of 2005, Ramasami said that CLRI had emerged as the single largest patent filing organisation of the leather world with a global share of intellectually protected innovations at 7 per cent. Around 50 per cent of its budget requirements is met through sale of technology and services. About 85 per cent of its industrial income comes from contract research activities.

He stressed the need for greater investments in research to gain advantage in the longer run. In the leather segment, India is still maintaining the leadership on 'patents filed for commercialisation' with an approximate share of about 10 per cent while the global average share was about 3-4 per cent.

While mapping 40 countries on balance of trade in leather and global share of at least 2.5 per cent in patenting ability, only 19 countries have the share of over 2.5 per cent in patenting. India is the only country with a positive balance of trade and 11-12 per cent growth in patenting, he added.

He said that though US had 4 per cent growth in patenting, it had a negative balance of trade. China had very low patenting ability, but it had a positive balance of trade. The nations, which had positive inventing capabilities were not able to reflect it in trade, he added.

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Advantage India

In the leather segment, India is the only country with a positive balance of trade and 11-12 per cent growth in patenting

Only 19 countries have the share of over 2.5 per cent in patenting

Though US has 4 per cent growth in patenting, it has a negative balance of trade.

China has a very low patenting ability, but it has a positive balance of trade.