The Chairman Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) Aziz Ahmed has demanded of the government to ban livestock export for an indefinite period in order to save leather sector in Pakistan and stabilise meat prices.
While welcoming the decision by ministry of commerce to ban exports of livestock until Eidul Azha, said that banning livestock exports for about three months is appreciable but it's not enough to stabilise the prices of mutton and beef which have already crossed all barriers.
He pointed out that meat prices have soared to double in just one year's time and if the uncontrollable exports and smuggling would be continued, the day is not too far when consumers would be facing the prices of mutton skyrocketing at Rs 1,000 per kg.
He said that as many as 200,000 live animals were being smuggled per month, which was ultimately making it very difficult for the leather industry to meet the leather goods' export orders. The smuggling, that has also caused abnormal raise in the meat/beef prices.
He said the leather goods export had been declined from $1.22 billion in fiscal year 2007-08 to $867 million in 2009-10. Some 63 percent decrease had been recorded in annual animal hides collection on the eve of Eidul Azha during last five years, as only 6 million hides had been collected in 2010 as against 16 million hides in 2006, he maintained.-PR