16 October 2004	Saturday	01 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Oct 15: Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PLGMEA) has urged the government to restrict the export of raw hides, skins, split and wet blue leather because it is hurting the export of value-added products.

In a statement issued here on Friday, PLGMEA Chairman Fawad Ijaz Khan said that this step would help save the leather garments market as well as the leather products industry.

He said that exports of leather garments had decreased by 17.43 per cent to $79.6 million from $96.4 million, whereas the exports of leather had surged by 14.58 per cent to $61.5 million from $53.7 million during July-September 2004 as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

He further said that the overall reduction in exports of leather made-ups was 11.60 per cent to $131.65 million. He was of the view that the decline in export of leather made-ups and increase in export of leather was a serious matter which, according to him, would lead to unemployment since leather made-ups sector was labour-intensive industry. He pointed out that leather made-ups constitute 65.42 per cent of the total leather industry.