Khawaja Muhammad Abdullah former Chairman of Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) has asked the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Livestock to look into the matters of export of wet blue and wet blue split under unfair means and smuggling live animals, hides and skins from Pakistan to Iran and Afghanistan.
He said that a delegation of PTA from all four provinces of the country called on Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa on Monday under the leadership of Chairman PTA, Khurshid Alam and apprised him of problems confronted by the tanners and said most burning issue in Punjab is gas and electric load shedding to the leather industry.
Chairman PTA, Khurshid Alam said that under the nose of customs authorities, illegal export of basic raw material of leather sector-wet blue and wet blue split and grain with the mode invoicing continues. He said in order to arrest the declining trend of exports of leather industry, which is now at an alarming 30 percent of the total exports, the ministries should take necessary measures.
Agha Saiddain, Chairman PTA demanded the government to impose a complete ban on export of live animals as more than 200,000 live animals were perished in the recent floods in Punjab and Sindh. He also demanded the government to impose a complete ban on the wet blue exports or to increase duty from existing 20 percent to 50 percent.
Most of the tanneries have already shut down their operation and those still operating are on the verge of imminent collapse. if the problems, particularly supply of uninterrupted gas and electric supply to the leather Industries in Punjab and Sindh are not addressed immediately, more units would be forced to shut down their industrial activities.
Governor Punjab assured the PTA's delegation to take up these core issues of leather industry on a priority basis with the higher government authorities as well as with new related Federal Cabinet ministers to remove obstacles the industry is confronting.
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