Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) has appreciated the decision of the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet to impose ban on the export of live animals with effect from October 1. While talking to Business Recorder, PTA Chairman Agha Saiddain said the decision was really beneficial for the leather industry as that proposal of the tanning industry was long pending since last many years.
He said by putting the ban on live animals, the value-added leather industry and allied industry could fetch more foreign exchange for the country by selling the by-products of animals ie blood, bones, hair/wool, processed meat and leather products as well as to ensure availability of raw hides and skins for the tanning industry and meat and milk for the general public on reasonable prices.
Agha Saiddain pointed out that the benefit of the export of live animals remained considerably less than the loss on account of foreign exchange earnings due to the negative impact of earlier decision on the export of leather and leather products. He appreciated the government for taking prudential decision which indeed would benefit the entire leather sector including footwear, leather garments, gloves and gelatin. He said the leather industry in Pakistan had remained a major source of foreign exchange earnings after the textile sector.
PTA Chairman further said that as per government statistics the average growth of livestock in Pakistan was 2.5 percent as compared to human population that is growing at the rate of about 2.0 percent annually. As a result, the prices of beef and meat in Pakistan are much higher than prices in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Agha said the ECC decision would definitely help to control fast rising prices of meat in the country besides enhancing availability of hides and skin to produce leather products.