Entry points to stimulation of expansion in hides and skins processing. A case of Maswa District, Tanzania

Abstract

A study was carried out in Maswa, Tanzania to explore potential avenues for stimulating expansion in hides and skins processing. One hundred and eighteen respondents were interviewed and the gathered information analysed using SPSS. It was observed that 89.8% of the respondents’ households (HH) keep livestock with the average of 11.85 ± 1.1, 7.34 ± 0.68 and 5.61 ± 0.88 for cattle/HH, goats/HH and sheep/HH, respectively, but 75.4% of the respondents don’t sell hide or skin. Over 65.0% of the respondents use hot iron branding for animal identification. Animal slaughter was reported by 50.8% of the respondents to be done at backyard using normal knives. Sun drying on the ground, which was used by 42.4% of the respondents was found to be the major drying method. Only 3.4% of respondents add value to hides and skins by processing. Low quality of the raw material and inadequate skills were the leading constraints to industrial hides and skins processing, whereas, tick biting was the most important disease affecting hides and skins. For this status of the chain, it was proposed that a workable intervention model has to encompass placement of tanneries and slaughter slabs in the chain as new actors, linking chain actors, improving livestock services especially dipping, and reinforcing for compliance to stringent requirements regarding hides and skins production at all segments.