Uncertainty: Hide sales decline amid falling prices

The government had imposed a ban on collection of hides at other than designated collection points

LAHORE: Hides and skins of sacrificial animals sold cheaply at markets in the City compared to last year. Traders cited a slump in international markets and a decline in leather exports from Pakistan for this trend.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Sheikh Muhammad Arshad said tanneries and leather industry were passing through trying times.

“Pakistan’s leather exports have dropped by a quarter. Cut-throat competition from low-cost Chinese synthetic leather and low demand in international markets have broken the back of the leather industry,” he said.

A visit to the market revealed sluggish trading during the busiest days of the year. Many traders seemed unable to sell their stock.

Muhammad Qasim, one of the traders, said prices were low this year. He said the market price had fluctuated between Rs1,400 and Rs1,600 for a cow or calf’s hide, Rs150 and Rs240 for a goat’s skin, Rs80 and Rs120 for sheep’s skin and Rs800 and Rs1,000 for a camel’s hide.

“Some of the big sellers got good bargains but others did not,” he said.

Naeem Butt, another trader, said it was good that the government was regulating the hide collection drive across the country.

“Even the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Karachi and some religious groups that had received most of the hides in the past could not collect hides due to strict monitoring. Mostly authorised organisations brought hides to the market for sale unlike last year,” he said.

Another trader pointed out that more citizens had sacrificed big animals this year.

“It is difficult to estimate the number of animals slaughtered for Eid, but one can easily see that share of hides of bigger animals is increasing every year,” he said.

Talking to The Tribune, several citizens said nobody had come to their houses to collect hides as a charitable organisation.

“Only officials of waste management companies were seen removing animal waste.” one of them said.

The city district government (CDGL) had constituted monitoring teams to regulate the hide collection drive and had outlawed collection by unauthorised organisations. The government had also imposed a ban on collection of hides at other than designated collection points. Only 75 organisations were allowed to collect hides in the city. Shaukat Khanum Hospital received the most hides followed by the Jamaat-i-Islami

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2016.