Government provides training for leather industry

To promote the commercialisation of the leather industry in Botswana, the Ministry of Agriculture is providing training to improve the quality and increase the quantities of hides and skins for local processing. Currently, there is a local company that processes wet-blue hides to finished leather but none that process raw hides and skins to the wet-blue stage except the Botswana Meat Commission tannery which is temporarily closed.There is a need to encourage investors to establish processing facilities to provide a market for raw hides and skins and support the leather finishing industry. The ministry is reviewing the hides and skins export levy which has been at very low rates of one thebe per kilogram for calf skins and dry hides to 80 thebe and P1.50 per kilogram respectively, to encourage local processing. It is hoped that these measures would ensure development and protection of the local leather industry.Other Southern African Development Community countries, such as Namibia, have increased their export levy on raw hides and skins from 30-60% respectively.