Ban on skin to emaciate Dharavi's leather industry

Already in for a tough battle against cheaper imports and synthetics, the leather industry in Maharashtra may be hit hard by the state's decision to ban bull slaughter. In Mumbai, traders and producers in Dharavi, which has emerged from being Asia's largest slum as a manufacturing hub for leather products, are apprehensive about the supply of animal skin.

''The leather industry will suffer because bull hides have a huge demand and utility for production. Its non-availability will force imports of finished products from other states,'' said a member of the Leather Goods Manufacturing Association, adding that ancillary units like tanneries also stood to lose. He said the eating and religious choices of a microscopic, elite section were being imposed on the masses.

''If we do not get bullock skin, this will affect production,'' said a Dharavi local who owns a manufacturing unit that makes handbags, portfolio holders, belts and purses. ''If that happens, loss of income and jobs is imminent,'' he said anonymously, adding that around 10,000 workshops in the area would be affected.

Bullock skin, which is softer than buffalo skin, is used for making bags, purses and shoes. Buffalo skin cannot be folded or stitched properly, and is used for making soles and so on.
'This government is in the throes of emotional politics and will never see reason. A fall in supply will cause a price hike, which in turn will cause demand to fall. Dharavi's leather industry, already in trouble due to cheaper Chinese imports, will have tougher days ahead,'' charged a local industry stalwart.

He claimed that contrary to popular perception, Hindu dalits as well as Brahmins had a larger stake in the leather and beef industry than Muslims. In fact, the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's sister Vijayalakshmi Pandit's family owned the now defunct Western India Tanneries Limited in Dharavi. Moreover, many dalit communities that are traditional BJP and Shiv Sena supporters will also be hit by the ban.

''The skin from animals which die a natural death cannot be used for tanning as they fall into pieces if not removed soon after death,'' he said, adding tanning units in Dharavi were also being forced to close down on grounds of pollution. Today, around four tanneries operate in Dharavi, compared to over 50 earlier. Now, animal hides are sourced from Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu while areas like Mhaswad in Satara and some villages in Sangli provide processed goat and sheep hides.

''The biggest question is what do indigent farmers do with their unproductive animals?'' asked a stakeholder,. He also raised the concern that the powers given to the police in implementing the slaughter ban could lead to harassment.

''We are facing stiff competition from artificial materials like rexine, which peels off sooner but is cheaper than leather,'' rued an exporter. "The ban will lead to a situation where export commitments may have to be left unmet." He further said the only cushion would be imports of semi-processed hides from countries like Africa which, however, cost around Rs 250 per square feet as opposed to Rs 100 for local hides.

''A rise in retail prices will force people to shift to cheaper alternatives,'' said the exporter, referring to the possibility of China-made leather products stifling the local industry. China, which used pig leather earlier, gradually moved to buffalo and sheep hides, which would help it capture a larger chunk of the global market, eating into India's foreign exchange. ''This ban will be a body blow to the local leather industry,'' said local activist Raju Korde, while calling the ban an upper caste, Brahmanical construct.

Dharavi: Slums to skins

Once a fishing village known for its shellfish till discharge from local industries finished off aquatic life, Dharavi saw the leather industry being birthed in the late 19th century by dalit communities like Dhors and Charmakars and immigrants from Tamil Nadu like the Adi Dravidars who came to Mumbai to escape the tyranny of caste and crippling poverty back home. Skins were sourced from the abattoir at Bandra (which was shifted to Deonar later). There are references to a tannery workers union being formed in the area way back in the 1930s by NM Moses.

Today, Dharavi accounts for a huge chunk of Maharashtra's leather sector. The state in turn, accounts for 15% of India's leather production, much of it in small and medium units. Many households in Dharavi supplement their income by taking up piece work in the leather industry, which provides employment to an estimated 25,000 people in Dharavi alone.

Meat of the matter While the killing of cows and calves (male and female) is already banned under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995, approved during the tenure of the erstwhile Shiv Sena- BJP led state government, had sought to extend it to bulls and bullocks. President Pranab Mukherjee recently granted his assent to the bill pending since 1996. Offenders risk Rs 10,000 as fine and five years in jail.

Fact-wise According to government statistics, the Indian leather industry is valued at US $ 11 billion. Exports too have risen from just US $ 1.42 billion in 1990- 91 to US $ 6 billion in 2013- 14. With 21% of global cattle and 11% of goat and sheep population, India produces 2 billion square feet of leather, which meets 10% of the world's requirements.