Hide and skin collation centre will expand export trade says Association SG.

Hides and skins Stakeholders.

The Secretary General, Hides and skin, Mr. Husaini Saleh Ahmed has advocated for the support of government towards establishing a collation centre for its association saying it would bring about improvement to both local and export trade through interface of the stakeholders in the production, processing and marketing. He spoke on this medium on other issue of way forwards for the sub sector saying government must provide policy the produce. Read the rest of his excerpts below.

 

Can you introduce yourself Sir?

My name is Husaini Saleh Ahmed, the Secretary General of the National Association of the Hides and Skin.

What is the Mandate of the National Association of the Hides and skin?

The mandate of our association is to see how we can revamp the hides and skin value chain for larger production and manufacturing of locally made products from this produce so as to reduce poverty occasioned by non proactiveness of the sub sector towards job and wealth creation. All the raw materials that are needed for the manufacturing of shoes and bags are available in Nigeria. All we need to do is a kind of collaborative venture with the government so that at the end we will be able to establish a centre that can make the shoes, the belt, and our own local tanneries, so that we can rely upon them for income generation.

What is the outcome of your meeting with the Permanent Secretary?

Yes, we have discussed some of the challenges being faced by the Association, which needs government’s intervention with solution. And these challenges are coming from the government, the tanneries and primary producers of hides and skin at the grassroot. We have looked into how the challenges can be improved upon to further create wealth and job opportunity in the sector. We are expecting to collaborate with the government so as to be able to establish a collation centre and the permanent secretary has given his word to support us in this respect. 

What is your association expectation from the Government?

We expect the government to capitalize on the opportunities that can be created in the Hides and Skin subs-sector through creating an appropriate policy for this produce. There is need for capacity building, and technology transfers based on adaptable research that will transform the sector to be more competitive. There is need to rejuvenate awareness in leather utility and its associated benefits. The future of leather and leather goods will depend on how the sector is revitalized to become more competitive in order to comfortably dislodge the synthetics artificer products in the country.

What value would this collation centre add to the produce?

We have earlier made a proposal that a collation plant should be established for the production, processing and marketing of Hide and Skin raw materials in order to boost trade locally and internationally. Demarcation and stands will be used to showcase goods from the tanneries to customers and selection will be done in the presence of the hide and skin, tanneries and the government representatives. This will create more jobs as well as create more revenues, as a lot of fund will be generated. These are among the suggestion that we earlier told the government.

.What is the Importance of Hide and Skin to Nigeria?

Hides and skins is as important as every agricultural sub-sector, in fact it ranks only second to cocoa as Nigerians largest non-oil export in terms of volume. The processed hides and skin do have a lot of international demand where they are use in the production of leather products like shoes, bags, watch straps, belts etc. Hides and skin is the end produce of animals which have been used for making clothes, vessels, bedding, and possibly structurally in ancient dwelling places. At present, leather is used in various applications. Hides and skins raw materials for the tanning industry are renewable resources. Its production is dependent on the rearing, management and disposal of livestock. The availability of hides and skins is of particular importance to the leather industry. 

What is the origin of hides and skin?

Hides, skins and leather are by-products of farming stock and wild animals bred primarily for meat consumption. Hides and skins are also generally applied to those coverings derived from exotics wildlife. Skins and hides have two surfaces. The outer side is known as the hair side or wool side in the case of sheep and the inner is known as the flesh side. When the skin or hide is spread flat, it can easily be realized by touch that its various areas differ significantly in thickness and firmness.The butt is the part of the skin or hides covering the back and hindquarters, thick and firm throughout.

If you take a cross-section of freshly-harvested skin or hide reveals three distinct layers, namely the epidermis, the hair layer, the dermis fibrous layers/grain, and the subcutaneous tissue. Raw hides and skins are traded in various forms as "raw stock", according to the type of preservation and quality grades. Different species of animals provide a wide range of products of raw hides and skins with different physical characteristics; this is the primary raw material for the leather industry.

 However, leather produced from cattle’s hides is of two basic types. Heavy leathers weighing over 30kg each are usually vegetables tanned and used for the manufacture of shoe soles, industrial belts and saddler products.