Livestock expert slams Indonesian ban on pickled hide imports
Indonesia’s unilateral ban on the import of pickled hides has come under fire from an Ethiopian livestock expert, who says he fears it may set a precedent that other countries will follow.
Speaking to the national press last week, Taddese Haile Mariam of the Ethiopian Livestock Marketing Authority accused Indonesia of violating accepted trade norms by imposing the ban, and said the authority would be meeting with Indonesian customs next month in a bid to have it lifted.
Indonesian customs authority last February rejected 20,000 dozens of pickled sheep skins from Ethiopia worth $840,000 - even though it is scientifically proven that pickled skins carry no foot and mouth disease risk whatsoever.
"If our potential buyers in Europe, America and the far-East follow the footsteps of Indonesia, a good source of the nation's foreign currency earning will seriously be affected," said Mariam
In a separate development, the director of Ethiopia’s Export Promotion Agency, Ato Fantaye Biftu, last week called for greater levels of government investment in the country’s leather and textile trades, citing the strong demand for those commodities on the international market.
