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China-Africa Trade Information Service
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Tanzania has the second largest herd in East Africa (after Ethiopia). According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Development, the country has 23 million head of cattle, 16 million goats, 7 million sheep and 2 million pigs.
However, the country has been importing shoes and leather products while making little use of its livestock products.
Ministry of Industry and Trade reports show that Tanzania imports between 31,000 and 42,000 pairs of leather shoes from China and other Southeast Asian states, but less than three percent of shoes are made from pure leather.
This is largely attributed to low investment in value addition within the leather industry, and this has undermined production. As a result, thousands of tonnes of skins and hides go to waste due to poor handling and low quality.
Tanzania's leather industry has a total installed capacity of 74.2 million square feet but export earnings from the sector have increased slowly in recent years at an average of 22 percent.
Eight small and medium-size leather factories are currently operating below capacity with less than 50 percent capacity in collections and processing of raw skins and hides.
President John Magufuli has invited investors, largely from Egypt to venture into livestock-based industries, mostly beef and leather products, banking on Egyptian technology in leather and livestock products.Also, the Public Service Social Security Fund and the National Social Security Fund are reviving leather factories in Morogoro Region with the Prisons Department.