Chairman of the Pakistan Tanners Association, Abdul Salam has urged the federal minister for gas and petroleum to ensure the supply of gas to the leather industry located at Korangi industrial area is on 24/7. A non-stop supply would ensure the industry will be able to continue processing raw hides and skins in time, against the commitments to secure important foreign exchange for the country.

Abdul Salam bemoaned that the tanning industry is being deprived of gas, which will have an impact on what is a vital export for the country’s economy. He also put that the tanning industry, producer of Pakistan’s second biggest export, is already in crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Any interruptions to the gas supply will prove to be yet another setback.

The CTFL sector has seen several plant closures and associated job losses in the past year, reducing the local capacity to produce.