UP tannery clampdown, rupee slide pinch shoemakers; price rise on cards

Rising leather prices, on account of closure of tanneries in the UP, coupled with increasing cost of imports due to rupee devaluation, is hurting the margins of shoemakers. 

On Monday, the UP Pollution Control Board ordered closure of 296 tanneries in Jajmau, Kanpur, one of the largest leather hubs in the country.

In the last two years, about 150 tanneries have been closed down in Jajmau. At present, there are about 296 units running in the region, what used to be around 446 about two years back, said Javed Iqbal, president, Council For Leather Exports. With this fresh clampdown, the Jajmau leather