Pakistan Tanners Association President Muhammad Mussadaq has said that the tannery industry suffered a loss of Rs 1.5 billion last year as hides of sacrificial animals could not be protected from excessive heat and were damaged. He says that Pakistan has potential to earn $ 3 billion annually by exporting leather productsprovided the industry is given preferential status to enable it to compete in the world market.
Leather industry is one of the dynamic sectors of economy in Pakistan after cotton and textile industry with 800 tanneries and 500,000 people engaged in it. Currently, over 450 leather garments manufacturing units produce 5 million pieces in the country while it has the capacity of producing 7.5 million pieces annually. The industry is currently producing 100 million pairs of footwear annually against a production capacity of 200 million pairs.
The leather industry contributes 6.15 percent to the GDP and 6.56 percent to foreign exchange earnings. However, the potential of this vital sector has never been fully exploited despite the fact that the leather industry existed in the country even before independence. The industry earned over $1 billion foreign exchange during one point of time, indicating that Pakistan can emerge as a leading country in export of leather products.The industry needs reforms and modern technology to process and preserve hides according to international standards. The standards of veterinary hospitals also needed to be improved to provide basic health facilities to the animals and especially treat the diseases affecting animal skin.
There is no dearth of hides in the country as millions of animals are sacrificed every year on Eid while thousands of sheep and cattle are slaughtered to the meet the country’s meat requirements. The Pakistani businessmen can start joint ventures with foreign investors to breed more sheep and cattle and set up leather processing units with state of the art technology to enhance exports and earn foreign exchange.
