New Delhi, July 11 (KNN) The Supreme Court earlier today has put a hold on the notification issued by the Central Government that banned the sale and purchase of cattle from animal market for slaughter. The leather industry that started to turn into a bad shape sees the court order as a big relief for the industry comprising of hundreds of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) units.

Talking to KNN, Asit Baran Kanunga, Vice President of Indian Leather Technologists Association (ILTA) said that the situation for the industry moved from bad to worse ever since the ban notification came out.

Explaining further he said that the ban meant a disaster for the industry. The law on trade varied from state to state, the supply of raw hide was starting to dip.  Asit said that the only option left before the leather industry was to rely on the skin of dead animals. This skin lacked nutrition, and therefore the products made from this can’t stand for global quality standards.

“When it comes to leather industry, we have to compete with countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Latin America where the cattle are well nourished and therefore their quality of leather is significantly high. While the raw hide that we were procuring from dead animals can only produce products fit for domestic low end market,” said Asit.

Talking further he said that the ban should be seen in terms of its socio-economic implication. The food chain was beginning to get disturbed. Also the farmers that had aging cattle, for them it was a big burden to provide for the animal.

With such scenarios starting to impact the industry, the decision by the Supreme Court is a very welcoming move. This will not only help the industry compete globally but also secure the employment of the hundreds of MSME units that are involved in the leather industry. (KNN/ DA)