Ethiopia falls short of leather export target
02/05/2014
However, the Ethiopian Leather Industry Development Institute had targeted $347 million for the full year – meaning it had earned less than a third with three months to go.
The institute blamed a raw material shortage and warned it is unlikely to hit the $500 million per year target that the government is aiming for by the end of 2015.
Dagnachew Demelash, finance director of Ethiopia Leather & Tannery Share Company, told local publication Fortune that the plant is working at 80% capacity due to a skin shortage.
"Our company has been importing hides and skins for the past four years," he said. "Four years ago, during a shortage, our company imported five containers of sheep skin from Yemen. And two years ago, we imported four containers of cattle skin from Malawi."
He added that the company is testing some sheep skins imported from Somaliland.
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