President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), President AKIA, Senior Vice Chairman of the Businessmen Panel of FPCCI and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain on Monday said restrictions over the export of raw leather and semi-finished products can help boost value-added industry which is facing the shortage of raw material.

It will boost the industry involved in making sports goods, garments gloves, belts, bags, purses, footwear which will help country generate good foreign exchange, the Former Minister said.

Mian Zahid Hussain said that skins of sacrificial animals worth billions are wasted every year due to inexperienced butchers, lack of proper storage facilities and load shedding for which government needs to launch a massive training program with the help of Pakistan Tanners Association.

He said that cost of doing business in Pakistan is high as compared to competing nations like China and India which has taken a toll on exports which fell by 26 percent during 2016. 

The business leader further said that this sector consists of around 12800 units and most of them are suffering from lack of government’s support and apathy of the government which is keeping them from up gradation which can boost the country’s share in the international leather trade.

Government is focusing on the development of halal industry while the leather industry is part of the halal chain, therefore, it should also be promoted, he demanded.