Hide shortage harms Zimbabwean leather sector
A shortage of hides and obsolete machinery is affecting
the small-scale leather industry in Zimbabwe.
"Most of the equipment we are using has outlasted its
life span and constantly breaks down. Most of the equipment was imported from
Europe and it is very difficult to replace the spare parts,” tanning shop owner
Gladmore Ncube told The Zimbabwean.
Fellow leather firm owner Herbert Moyo blamed a shortage
of raw hides for the slump.
2There is a shortage of both livestock and game hides in
the country," he said. "Most abattoirs are exporting the hides. The other
problem is that most of game abattoirs where we used to get hides have all
closed down following the land redistribution programme."
At its peak, the sector employed more than 12,000 people,
but this figure has now fallen to around 3,000.
