Leather industry stakeholders from the Coast region during a workshop at Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) Mombasa Office on February 22, 2018. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NMG
Summary
- Kebs says many leather processing firms rejecting locally produced hides and skins and opt for imports due to poor quality.
- Kenya Leather Development Council said mismanagement of slaughter houses had affected the quality of skins produced in the country.
- Kebs says it has already developed and adopted more than 200 standards for leather and its products
Kenya loses Sh4.2 billion annually due to production of poor quality hides and skins.
Kenya
Leather Development Council (KLDC) Charles Ndung'u said mismanagement
of slaughter houses had affected the quality of skins produced in the
country.
“Kenya is losing Sh4.2 billion annually
because of mismanaging slaughterhouses in the country. The quality of
the skins produced form these slaughter houses is poor and cannot gain
any good prices or properly used for processing.
"We need to work hard and make sure the quality of hides and skins meet the required international standard,” said Mr Ndungu.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) managing director Charles
Ongwae also said most hides and skins produced in the country are of low
quality and thus fetch low prices.
Rejected
He said many leather processing firms were rejecting locally produced hides and skins and opt for imports due to poor quality.
He said many leather processing firms were rejecting locally produced hides and skins and opt for imports due to poor quality.
Mr
Ongwae blamed poor methods of flaying, preservation and declining
number of curing premises for the low quality hides and skin.
He
said 14 per cent of cow hides, 34 per cent of sheep and 29 per cent of
goat skins do not reach the commercial channels as they are disposed
after slaughter at home.
“The decline is due to erratic
price patterns, poor market information system and lack of incentive to
the primary producers,” he said.
Mr Ongwae's speech
was read on his behalf by Kebs Coast regional manager Martin Nyakiamo,
during a meeting with stakeholders in the sector at Kebs office in
Mombasa.
Taxes
He
said the government had to increase the export tax on raw hides and
skins from 40 per cent to 80 per cent to encourage value addition for
local products.
According to the 2009 census, Kenya has
about 17.3 million cattle, 27 million goats, 17 million sheep, 2.9
million camels and 335,000 pigs.
“The country also
produces skins from emerging livestock such as crocodiles, Nile Perch,
rabbits and ostriches among others. With such resources, I am sure we
can achieve more for this sector if we put the right mechanisms and
policies in place,” he said.
Kebs said it has already
developed and adopted more than 200 standards for leather and its
products to enable entrepreneurs not only trade locally but also provide
platform for the goods to access a larger market through export
schemes.
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