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| Undervalued Leather Sector of Kashmir | | |
Javaid Naikoo
JAMMU, Nov 16: In the rapidly changing global economic environment lack of an industrial sector in Kashmir has led to declines in the leather industry .
According to official figures, on an average 14 lakh sheep worth 400 crores are imported to Kashmir annually for consumption purposes, as people here eat 3 times the national average of meat. However, the hides left over worth crores for leather business are still exported as raw material to states like Kanpur and Kolkatta.
Members of 'All Kashmir leather-fur manufacturers, tanners and dyers association' say that despite repeated requests both verbally and in written form to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir leather business is still the most neglected business sectors of Kashmir.
The annual turnover for Al-Karam leathers is 4-5 crore from this business. According to Sheikh Manzoor, owner of Al-Karam Leathers, Aali-Kadal Srinagar, though raw material required for leather business is worth crores but Kashmir has got 0% of this market.
According to Nazir Ahmad Darzy, General secretary 'All Kashmir leather-fur manufacturers, tanners and dyers association' Kashmir despite being considered the hub of raw material for A-grade leather, the artists here are making leather products at minor levels. They can only afford to buy C and D grade leather called 'sweed' leather to make lowest price leather products like bags, jackets and belts.
Sharing his experiences, Tariq Ahmad Baba of Chattabal Srinagar, an artist in leather products, says that a lady's leather bag made here earns Rs 200-250 profit for a craftsman, while the same leather bag made of A-grade leather outside Kashmir earns more than 2000 thousand rupees for the craftsman.
Admitting the concerns related to the diminishing leather business in Kashmir, Bilal Ahmad Kawoosa, joint secretary general of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) says that because of the wildlife ban on dealing with fur since 1997 also affected the animal skin business of Kashmir.
"Fur was also used in leather products and in the wake of this ban, the leather industry found itself left high and dry," he added.
One of the young entrepreneurs of the Valley, Sameer, who runs his own leather finishing plant in Lassi Pora in District Pulwama, known as 'Reem tanners private limited,' estimates that the leather industry has a potential to generate 150 crores of foreign exchange for the state if supporting programs are implemented in full swing.
Sameer has a small scale unit where finishing of animal skins is done, and then sent to states like Kanpur and Chennai for further processing.
According to his estimates, an average on daily bases one and a half lakh skins of different animals are exported outside the state. He states that if proper infrastructure is provided to industrialists like him, he can employ 1500 people directly to work for him on a daily basis, and thousand others could work indirectly for him as well.
He added, "The government is doing its bit to boost this sector. Recently 650 crores were sanctioned by the government for the leather treatment plant at Lassi Pora, which is being developed on 100-200 Kanals of land."
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