Indian leather sector threatened by Saudi meat import ban
Europe’s current problems aside, the Indian leather trade was dealt a potentially far more serious blow by foot and mouth disease last week, after Saudi Arabia announced that it is to suspend all meat imports from the country.
As India’s largest export market for meat, Saudi Arabia exerts a considerable influence on the levels of raw material that are available to the Indian leather sector, so the impact of any lasting suspension is likely to be serious. The ban applies to all chilled, frozen and canned sheep or cow meat, and was enforced after new cases of foot and mouth were confirmed in India, as well as in Taiwan and Iran, which are also subject to the Saudi ban.
India's leather and livestock sector employs over two million people and accounts for the production of US$1.7 billion worth of leather goods annually. The human and economic effects of any slowdown in the sector would therefore likely be considerable.
