Tanneries in Kashmir, India, have reported that hide prices are down to a third of what they once were as the industry is in decline.
Credit: Fon Matchaset/Shutterstock.com
Business owners say that they are in survival mode, unable to cover operating costs, but that closing down would only make things worse.
One tanner reported to Al Jazeera that they have 40,000 processed hides taking up space with no interested buyers.
Although the pandemic and global economic crises have had an impact, issues began in 2014 when the government banned cattle slaughter in predominately Hindu parts of India, suspending the ban after three years.
Many tanneries closed down in those three years, and the region now has an unemployment rate three times higher than the national average.
Local tanners report that while the government has been making efforts to support the leather industry, Kashmir has been overlooked.
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