Leather and Footwear in India
Hide Supplies and Cattle Laws
How restrictions on cattle slaughter and trade, and crackdowns on slaughterhouses, affected the supply of hides and the leather industry.
Leather depends on a steady supply of hides and skins.
Sources
- Buffalo, goat and sheep hides.
- Cow hides, restricted in many states.
Cattle laws
- Most Indian states ban cow slaughter, with varying rules.
- Enforcement against illegal slaughterhouses and cattle transport increased in several states from around 2017.
Effects on leather
- Reduced supply of hides in some regions.
- Tanneries imported more hides and leather.
- Leather prices rose for some manufacturers.
- Small traders and workers in hide collection lost livelihoods.
Wider effects
Restrictions also affected farmers who couldn’t sell old cattle, contributing to stray cattle problems.
Buffalo meat
India is a major exporter of buffalo meat, whose hides also supply tanneries.
Economic lesson
Rules affecting one market can ripple into linked industries.
The hide shortage
A tannery in Kanpur finds fewer local hides available and starts importing finished leather, raising costs for shoemakers.
Thinking cattle laws only affect meat
They also affect hide supplies for leather.
Key takeaways
- Leather depends on hides from buffalo, goats, sheep and cattle.
- Cow slaughter is banned in most states.
- Stricter enforcement reduced hide supplies.
- Tanneries imported more, raising costs.
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