Basic leather goods, the largest export sub-category, fell from Rs 443 crore to Rs 431 crore. However, exports of leather gloves, the next big item, increased 19.15 per cent from Rs 144 crore to Rs 172 crore.
Export of finished leather, grew 27.4 per cent to Rs 102 crore over Rs 80 crore last year, indicating tanning had not stopped.
Many claimed that tanners were selling old stocks and some goods were produced with leather from tanneries in Kanpur.
The Supreme Court had clamped down on tanning activities in Tiljala, Topsia and Tangra area of east Kolkata for polluting the environment.
However, the ban had not been enforced properly and work was going on, albeit clandestinely. In such a situation, overseas buyers had started to look at other product sourcing options, exporters from the region complained.
Eastern India has emerged as a major source for leather as the state one of two states in the country that permitted the slaughter of cattle and buffaloes.
However, uncertainty over proposed Calcutta Leather Complex (CLC) seems to have sent a wrong signal to the world community as exports from the region have failed to live up to expectations.
Exports from the east grew by 5.97 per cent as compared to the target of 10 per cent. Data for nationwide exports were still under preparation.
