The famous Kofar Wambai artisan tannery and the general animal skin business in the market have hit a snag in the last few weeks owing to the downturn in the economic realities in the country but mostly affected by the renewed conflict in Sudan and import substitutes now available in the market, Daily Trust Saturday reports.
The market, which was known for its bustling ambience with traders from all over the world, together with the over 1,500 people comprising young and old, directly and indirectly earning their living through the art of hide and skin tanning, left little to desire during a recent visit.
The 106-year-old famous market, popularly known as a home of tanning (majema), was established at its present location 85 years ago as a place where able men practise various aspects of tanning business, ranging from spreading the tanned and coloured skins, tanning skins by removing the unwanted particles, and some engaged in mixing skins with a mixture of chemicals in various pits, locally known as rijiya.
The common sight at the tannery was that of various skins of snakes, crocodiles and alligators, among other wild animals being dried under the scorching sun. Traditional tanners typically work with raw skins of wild and domestic animals, including lions, hyenas, goats, cows and sheep, which are obtained through various channels.
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Mustapha Umar, the chairman of the Artisan Tannery Business in Kano, told Daily Trust Saturday that the major reason the place has become deserted is because they are fighting to stay on their feet due to the conflict in Sudan.
“We used to tan more than 10,000 animal skins daily before, but we hardly sell this number in a month now because they (Sudanese) are our major customers. Many of us now have resorted to other side businesses because we can no longer depend on the tannery, especially during the rainy season,” he lamented.
Sudan, as the third largest country in Africa, stretches across an unstable and geopolitically vital region, which has made countries all over the world focus on ending the battle that erupted between the army and the RSF paramilitary group before it spreads further from a relatively straightforward power struggle into a more complex civil war.
The historical, geopolitical and economic importance of Sudan cannot be underestimated as the country has drawn significant foreign investments over the years, a fact alluded to by Wambai Artisan Tannery Traders.
“Previously, we used to sell a minimum of 15million traditionally processed hides per month to foreign countries, especially Sudan; and they paid us a minimum of N5,000 per kilo. These people don’t play with traditional products, thus they buy a minimum of 10,000 kilos of hides per month. So, calculate N5,000 x 10,000 and you will get N50million,” Umar explained.
“Although what we sell to other countries is more than the amount we sell to fellow Nigerians, they only buy it for a maximum of N2,500 per kilo, which is half the amount Sudanese buys. But still, we sell at least 1,000 kilos per month,” he said.
He added that for years, the tannery had served as a tourist attraction. However, in addition to the Sudan crisis, the recent economic downturn and the availability of cheap imported leather, which substitutes from Chinese mostly, have reduced the tannery to a shadow of itself.
“Things are very bad this year. The domestic animal skins we usually get from people during Sallah have already finished, weeks after Sallah because of the few numbers involved this year, unlike previous years where we sold all-year-round.
“Secondly, we are losing customers daily because Chinese companies are infiltrating the market with artificial hides that are cheaper. So, we have to lower our prices too and sell lower quality ones if we want to stay in business.
“We are selling a hide locally at N800 and the foreign ones that are measured by the kilo are sold at a maximum of N1,000. So our concern is now to sell the high-quality ones to foreigners rather than our own people in order to get profit. If you come here when the market is good you would see five or more people working on the hides to be shipped overseas, and no one works on less than 200 hides daily,” he said.
On how they get the hides now that Nigeria is faced with economic and security crisis, Umar disclosed that they got it from the Republic of Benin, Niger Republic and the neighbouring states of Gombe, Adamawa, Bauchi and Jigawa, among others.
Ubale Kofar Wambai is another trader who has been selling wild animal hides for over 60 years in Kofar Wambai, a trade he inherited from his father who trained him from an early age. He also told Daily Trust Saturday that the business took a bad turn after the Sudan conflict.
“I have been in this business since the Ahmadu Bello regime and I can testify to you that with all the challenges of restriction and hefty taxes imposed on wild animals’ hide years back, it has never been this bad.
“As you can see, I major in python, alligator and cobra skin trade. I price it according to its length. In previous years, I used to sell a kilo of raw hide at N2,500, depending on its weight and quality. And they didn’t order less than 100 kilos per day. But now, the ones we are selling locally are so bad that we don’t have a fixed price.
“Things got worse after the Chinese people started producing artificial ones and selling them to our people at a cheaper rate. Locally, the price has been reduced to N300 per foot, and the smaller ones are sold at N500 per hide. But even with a cheaper price like this, I hardly make N500 a day because apart from companies, cobblers prefer that cheap artificial hide that the Chinese are now importing.
“The last time a Sudanese came here to buy hide was before the month of Ramadan. And from then, I can tell you how many people came here to buy from me and how much I got. I pray that things would get back to normal in Sudan as I am confident that they can buy all the stock I have stored in a month,” he said.
‘Local companies now set the price’
Sulaiman Sa’ad, the secretary of the Animal Skin Traders Association of Nigeria, Kano chapter, disclosed that since the Sudan crisis escalated, they heavily relied on local companies and tanners to sell their products.
“We sell fresh skins to local and overseas companies, as well as tanners and other local skin traders. Most of the fancy clothes and shoes we buy from other countries are made out of the animal skin they buy from Kano State, the largest animal skin provider in Nigeria. We gather thousands of fresh skin daily, and 90 per cent of it is sold abroad, especially to Sudan, while the remaining 10 per cent is sold to local companies and individuals.
“If you compare previous years’ sales to this year, as one of the overseers of the business, I didn’t get half of what I usually get, the main reason being the Nigerian economic crisis, and worse of it, the Sudan crisis.
“Last year when business was booming, high-quality hides were sold at N2,000 and above, while lesser ones were sold at N500. But currently, one cannot even say the price because it is not stable. For instance, you might go to the market in the morning to find the price at N800, only for you to come back in the evening and find out that it has dropped to N500. This has made our local companies continue to take advantage of us and set the price they like.
“Initially, when dollar rate skyrocketed, we thought things would change, but that has not been the case. Some of the companies don`t even pay before service as they did before. We have to take the hides to them after we bought them from people, then they would sort out the ones they want and pay. I know a company that sets a very good price on our goods on Sallah day but lowers it the next day, and all the companies copied.
“We still have the remaining skins we bought from people but can’t sell to foreigners. We are hoping and praying for peace to reign in Sudan for us to be back in full swing,” he said.
The traders said while they hoped the situation in Sudan would improve, the Nigerian government should come up with policies to safeguard their business against unfavourable import substitutes.
