Brazil’s leather export market saw a sharp decline in April 2025, both in value and volume, as global trade uncertainties began to bite.
According to data from the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (SECEX) analyzed by the CICB, the country exported hides and skins worth $93.8 million in April. That’s down 9% from March and a significant 21.2% drop compared to April last year, when exports reached $119.1 million.
The total volume shipped was 14.9 million square meters and 47,700 tons. These figures mark a 19.7% fall in area and a 17.3% decrease in weight compared to April 2024.
From January to April this year, exports totaled $392.6 million down 9% compared to the same period in 2024.
China continued to lead as the main buyer of Brazilian leather, accounting for 31.1% of the total value and 45.5% of the area. But exports to China fell 5.8% in value, even though the volume rose by 12.8%.
The United States climbed back to second place with a 13.1% share in value and 6.4% in area. Despite this, shipments to the US fell 13.9% in value and 8.9% in area.
Italy held third place with 13% of the value and 15.2% of the area. Unlike China and the US, Italy showed positive growth 2.9% in value and 16.4% in area.
Among the top 10 destinations, Norway was the only other country to show an uptick, with a 29.3% increase in value and 28.5% in area.
From January to April 2025, Brazil’s leather exports by type showed mixed results. Wet blue leather, which makes up over half of all exports by area, dropped 14.4% in value but rose 9.9% in area.
Split wet blue saw a 5% decline in value and a 10.5% drop in area. Crust leather fell sharply 26.5% in value and 18.9% in area. Finished leather, the highest in value share at 47.7%, dropped 6.9% in value but edged up 0.9% in area.
Salted hides, which had been gaining ground earlier, lost momentum in April, especially in volume. Still, they performed better than in April 2024.
Read the full report here
