KARACHI: The Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (Plgmea) has urged the government to withdraw quarantine requirements for imported raw hide and skin.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Plgmea Chairman Hassan Ali Bhatti said the condition of quarantine introduced through SRO-1067, issued on Oct 20, 2017, has been damaging to the value-added leather industry while criticising the policy.

Under the said SRO, quarantine requirements were imposed on imports of basic raw material for leather industry such as raw hides and skins of goat, sheep, lamb, cow and buffalo.

Mr Bhatti said that spirit of the SRO was to put all food item imports under check at import stage for the safety and health concerns of general public, but unfortunately raw materials like hides and skins were also included in the list.

These hides and skins are re-exported after value-addition but the quarantine condition had been causing a lot of hardship for the industry as it causes delays and many a times result in heavy demurrage, he deplored.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2018