In a post-Eid-al-Adha tradition, students of madrassas, or Islamic seminars, collected donated skins of sacrificed animals and sold them to the leather industry, with the proceeds helping the schools meet some of their expenses.
However, the declining price of leather, especially that of goats and sheep, has caused a setback to the practice. This year, several madrassas in Mumbai advised people that they will be unable to collect the hide because the price of leather has declined.
Darul Uloom Imdad, a large seminary at Memonwada Road, said that sacrificial leather was once an important source of income. "But this year, the situation is that no buyer is ready to buy leather so far," the institution said, adding that well-wishers should instead donate two hundred rupees for every animal hide.
Maulana Eijaz Kashmiri, an Islamic scholar in Mumbai, said the tradition of donating hides after Eid qurbani is meant to help the poor and students. "It helped feed the students and buy books," said Kashmiri. It is estimated that around 3,00,000 animals were sacrificed during Eid-al-Adha, also called Bakri Eid in India.
Shahid Mohammad, who is associated with seminaries, said the system has collapsed in the last few years. "The price of the hides is so low that it is no longer economical to collect, clean, and store the hides," said Shahid.
Earlier, a goat or sheep skin was sold for Rs 500 to 1000. Imran Babu Qureshi, vice-president of the All India Jamaitul Quresh, an organisation representing the community engaged in the meat business, said, "The situation has completely changed now: prices are too low. In fact, it is so low that the skins have to be disposed of."
The low price for the skins is related to the declining demand for leather products, especially those made from goat hide. A member of the Leather Industries Association based in Jajmau, Kanpur, one of the largest leather production centres in the world, said that Europe and North America are the biggest markets for Indian leather. "During the last few years, demand for products made from leather has declined. Overall, the price of leather has declined," said the businessman.
Shah Nawaz from Maaz Leather, a leather products dealer in Dharavi, Mumbai's largest hide processing centre, said, "The market for leather products is down. Faux leather and other synthetic materials are being used increasingly."
