Animal skins consumption affects leather industry in Malawi
Director of operations for Trogon Trading Private Limited, Mohan Suresh Kumar a company that is in leather production has bemoaned the tendency of eating animal skins among Malawians which he said is slowing down the leather production industry.
Kumar made the statement in an interview, saying the development has led to vendors not to collect enough animal skins for the business.
“Almost 40 to 50 percent of the vendors have already stopped doing this business due to lack of animal skins fueled by the love of eating animal skins. It is sad that these animal skins eaters don’t care about skin quality and unhygienic processes,” the director expressed the worry.
Kumar further said at some point the company increased the purchase price of animal skin just to coax people to sell more animal skins so that people can stop consumption of the highly needed product.
However, according to the director the plan did not work as it was still very difficult to compete on the world market.
He said government is losing a lot of revenue because most animal skins that could be processed for export are heavily consumed by people.
Speaking in an interview, one of the goat skin sellers, Joseph Wize confirmed that the love of eating animal skins has made their business difficult.
He argues that government should ban eating of animal skins if the leather industry is to survive.
“We find money to run our families through the same business. It is difficult to raise money nowadays since animal skins are scarce. I travel to Machinjiri in Blantyre where I order animal skins and sell them here in Liwonde,” he said.
Wize has asked government to promote the leather industry and open more companies that will buy animal skins for leather production.
However, Wize bemoaned that the fact that Trogon is the only ternary in Malawi, they are forced to sell animal skins at low prices hence the call for government to initiate establishment of more ternaries in the country a thing he believes will help stop the tendency of eating animal skins.
Trogon Trading limited took over the Liwonde ternary from a Chinese firm in February, 2019 and from the date of establishment till date the company has brought in forex of approx USD220,000 despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
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if that’s the case then why doesn’it he rear his own goats, cows etc etc for the animal skin???? it makes a lot of business sense right……. osamatinyoza a Malawi choncho
I think this guy should apologise to Malawians. He can’t say we eat animal skins. Am having nightmares by his claims
What a joke! Why would Government ban the eating of animal skins? It creates jobs for small enterprises who sell skins at Zodetsa.
This company should source skins from commercial farmers like Mia.
And for all this noise, they have brought forex worth $220,000. Not even enough to pay our UTM lawyers!
This is complete nonsense, nobody eats cow skin! The skin we talking about when people eating Mangina is from the lower leg, infact the feet of the cow! In the North most of the cow skin for leather goes to neighbour Tanzania! For my fellow farmers and me is it the first time I hear that we have a tenary in the country! Tell us the price per skin and the place where to deliver?!
ZIkopa sizidyedwera umphawi as others think here. They are actually very delicious . More especially with some shots of Gin or other liqours eish usazachiderere chikopa – mmwenye umva m’bebe wonjezera mtengo.
This tells you how high the poverty level are in Malawi where house holds are un able to buy the actual meat and they go for the skin which they can afford to buy.’
The communities are eating the animal skin out of poverty and not actually liking the skin..
Nobody eats goat, sheep, cow skins in Malawi. This mwenye is a liar. Or is he looking for pig skin?
I failed to fully understand the eating of animal skin. If you meant animal hooves like mang’ina then I wonder how the term animal skin creeps in.
I had in mind chikumba cha ng’ombe as one example of animal skin.
My we have the prices of the leather or contacts of the buyers so that we should sell instead of eating.
Who eats animal skin in Malawi? I don’t think its true. Only mang’ina have some small skin attacjed yo them and because of that its not fair to overgenealise that people in Malawi eat animal skins hence a shortage. Find another explanation becasue we Malawians we don’t eat animal skins