Constraints in hides and skins relate to the differences between the potential and the actual recovery of the raw material due to very low off-take levels and low recovery rate and to the poor quality of the recovered material.
Problems exist due to the small size of commercial livestock and the inadequate husbandry practices. This in turn leads to anti-mortem (pre-slaughter) defects in the hides and skins due to ill practices in the animal slaughter, hides and skins preservation and flaying, resulting in numerous defects.
The main constraint is the lack of quality grading, applied as part of a marketing system for hides and skins, that can transmit the benefits of better prices throughout the value chain (breeding, collection, handling and marketing).
In the leather and tanning sub-sector there exists basic technology. The tanning business is mostly oriented to semi-processing of leather which is mainly due to the low demand for quality finished leathers caused by the extremely weak leather-based manufacture. Meanwhile lack of diversification and specialization at the tanning sector is an additional constraint.
Pollution caused by chemicals used in the early stages of processing, i.e. wet blue is a sensitive issue. There is motivation to justify financing the costly effluent treatment plants.
