Pakistan’s top tanners and garment manufacturers have highlighted the need for European Technical Assistance in the production of fashion leather, garments and fine leather chemicals in Pakistan.

Speaking on television in Pakistan, S. M. Naseem, managing director of Muhammad Ismail Muhammad Aslam Ltd.(MIMA), Farukh H. Sheikh of Hub Leather (Pvt) Ltd. and Rashid Arshad Zahoor of Noor Leather Garments (Pvt) said that although Pakistan has a huge tanning capacity and produces high quality leather, it needs sufficient raw materials to fulfil its potential. They added that the country is now receiving more enquiries from Europe for fashion leather with immediate delivery, but may struggle to fill orders if the situation over raw material supply is not addressed.

Although they acknowledged that Pakistan receives significant volumes of raw material from India, they urged the government to pave the way for the cooperative farming of animals and to explore the opportunities of sourcing materials in Russia and the CIS states and asked the Russian government to rationalise its duty structure.

On a positive note, they also disclosed that a leather design institute is currently being set up in Lahore City at the cost of Rs400 million ($6.7 million) while the paperwork is also being done for a similar establishment in Karachi.