Bolivia has signed an agreement that will allow it to begin shipping raw cattle hides to China. By Leatherbiz.

The South American country’s ministry for foreign relations recently hosted a delegation from China at meetings in La Paz. Afterwards, it said shipments of bovine hides from Bolivia to China would begin.

At the moment, the Bolivian government puts the volume of hides shipped from the country at 22,000 tonnes per year, including finished, semi-finished and raw hides. It said these exports are worth $12.5 million per year to the Bolivian economy.

But following the talks, it said China’s demand for raw material for leather production is as high as 1.8 million tonnes of hides, making the new agreement an opportunity for “significant growth”.