According to the Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), the apex body for Indian export promotion, Kanpur has put up a consistent growth in the past seven years. FIEO officials congratulated the leather exporters of Kanpur on their achievement and termed it as a remarkable success story.
No other city has excelled and grown like Kanpur did. The growth rate is three times more than the national average. "What China did on the global scene, Kanpur did in India," said FIEO chairman, Rafeeque Ahmed. He visited Kanpur to participate in the board meeting of council for leather exports (CLE) where he said that Kanpur alone accounts for 40% of the total leather exports.
“The share of southern cities, with Chennai as their nerve-centre, shrank from 65% to 38% in last five years. In the last fiscal, Kanpur had created history exporting goods worth Rs 4,500 crore," said he. According to FIEO officials, it was Kanpur's ability to successfully convince people from West about the utility of buffalo leather, which, till recently, was rated as third class.
Of the 350-odd tanneries in Kanpur, 200 of them are using machines imported from Italy, Germany and Japan. This enables the industries to produce high quality products meeting international standards and quality.
Though Kanpur attained the top position for exporting leather, FIEO officials rued that it is also the leather industry here, which is also contributing to the high pollution levels of river Ganga. "There has been lack in sincerity in adhering to environment norms. The industry needs to address this issue and invest to ensure zero discharge in the river. This would then help in conservation of the river," said Ahmed.
Source: Times of India
