Foreword

The rising unemployment despite high growth in non-farm sector in India is causing concern
to every one. The growth in Agriculture which provides livelihood to about 50 per cent of the
work force in India and 66 percent in Rajasthan is tardy. A very sizeable number has to be
moved away from agriculture for the remaining persons to earn well. Due to continuing high
growth rate of population, annual addition to the work force is over 10 million a year. In
Rajasthan, about 8 lakh livelihoods are needed annually for over the next decade to deal with
the problem. Realizing the enormity and urgency of the task of livelihood promotion, the
State Government set up Rajasthan Mission on Livelihoods in 2004.

In order to understand various facets of livelihood issues across segments, sectors and spatial
regions, RMoL has undertaken 25 rapid assessment studies, held 25 consultations and
initiated 4 pilot projects involving stake holders, academics, researchers, Government
functionaries and civil society organizations. The booklets being published now including the
present one contain our learning about complexities of livelihoods in a summarized manner,
derived from the field studies and consultations. These illuminate various facets of livelihoods
in the State and would be helpful in proper understanding of the issue and in developing
proper perspective in this regard. I do hope that all those who are concerned with the
problems of livelihoods, particularly the livelihoods of the poor, unemployed and the under
privileged would find these booklets very useful. Both the content and the views expressed
therein represent summation of views expressed by many persons and we would like to
thanks all those who made it possible for us to bring out these booklets including the State
Government, UNDP and BASIX. My colleagues at the RMoL worked tirelessly for holding
consultations and undertaking field studies. Appreciation is due to them as well.

M.L. Mehta
Deputy Chairman
RMoL

RMoL-BASIX
 LEATHER SECTOR- OPPORTUNITIES AND
CONSTRAINTS

A
Study
on
Leather Sub-sector – in Rajasthan

By
Aide et Action

RMoL-BASIX
Abstract

The present study on ‘the leather sub-sector in Rajasthan’ conducted by Aid et Action on
behalf of Rajasthan Mission on Livelihoods has tried to encompass a detailed overview of the
existing leather sub-sector scenario in the state, stakeholders’ analysis and their strengths, issues
related to its more vigorous development, constraints in realizing its objective of being a potential
employers and finally suggests with recommendations to make the development more
pronounced.
For a number of years the leather sector was reserved for small-scale sector in India. This
was done primarily to promote employment. A number of policy instruments such as tax
exemption, licensing restrictions and reservation policy were used to encourage the growth of the
leather industry in the small scale and cottage industry sector. India’s leather industry plays an
important role both as an earner of foreign exchange and provider of employment. The industry,
which employs more than 2.5 million people, exported about US$ 1970.98 million worth of
goods in 2000-01. A large proportion of India’s export of leather and leather products is to four
countries, namely USA, Germany, UK and Italy besides Spain, Hong Kong and France. Together,
these countries accounted for 59% of the total exports of these products during 2000-01.
Rajasthan is famous globally for its conventional craftsmanship in leather goods. Along
with textile products, gems & jewellery the leather products such as jutis, mojris and bags are
important earners of revenue for the State and income for its artisans. However, the growth
prospects of the leather sub-sector, which employs over 200,000 people, are constrained due to
poor technology, lack of infrastructure and appropriate linkages with markets. An appraisal of the
dynamics of this important source of livelihood is therefore requires immediate attention.
According to the 1991 Census, the number of workers employed in the leather sector was
65,000, registering a considerable drop from about 82,000 workers since 1981. Between 1980 and
2000 Rajasthan’s leather industry has grown in urban areas, where there is an ever growing
demand for westernized footwear, garments and up market designer leather products. On the
other hand leather artisans, who are concentrated in villages and continue to cater to rural
demands, have become stagnant because of limited purchasing power and lack of upward linkage.
The unfavourable economics of leather-work together with a quest for a new social
identity have compelled many to seek other livelihood options. The high degree of segmentation
in the leather sub-sector leads to higher transaction costs and, consequently, to lower value
addition. The further evolution of the leather sub-sector in Rajasthan requires increased emphasis
on technology & design up gradation, standardization, improved access to credit and marketing
support.
The primary constraint appears to be the lack of technologies, infra-structure and finances
for value addition, and owing to these hiccups more than 180 lakhs of hides go outside the state
without any formidable change. Due to water scarcity, the state is not able to develop good
tanneries, although improved vegetable tanning technique and dry tanning methods are available
with agencies like CLRI, TIFAC, etc but not yet disseminated properly among the tanners of the
state, who are still from the old school. Product design is only in isolated pockets, spurred either
by the tourist traffic in urban areas, or by the export markets.
The study comes out with one of the suggestions that the state should consider
establishing “Leather Promotion Park” in the state to attract leather `units being established in
response to the export boom. These promotion parks should primarily be run by the association of
Industries having stakes of artisans also. The study goes on to suggest that it is desirable that the
private sector units establish their own training units, rather than these being set up as a
governmental effort. However, the state government may consider giving a capital grant for
facilities and also tapering operating support to such private training institutions.

RMoL-BASIX 1
1. Background of the study:

Rajasthan is famous globally for its conventional craftsmanship in leather goods. Along
with textile products, gems & jewellery, leather products (such as jutis, mojris and bags) are
important earners of revenue for the State and income for its artisans. However, the growth
prospects of the leather sub-sector, which employs over 200,000 people, are constrained due to
poor technology, lack of infrastructure and appropriate linkages with markets. An appraisal of the
dynamics of this important source of livelihood is illustrative.
Three sets of activities define leather work: flaying, tanning and manufacturing of leather
articles, among which footwear and bags. Each of these categories has distinct skills and techno
economic constraints. In Rajasthan the main communities engaged in leather work, which are
among the poorest, are Raigar, Khatik, Meghwal, Berwa, Raidas and, in some areas, the Jatavs.
Though these communities are spread all over the state, the districts of Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur,
Nagaur and Jodhpur have the highest concentration of these communities, which have
comparatively a low presence in South Rajasthan.
According to the 1991 Census, the number of workers employed in the leather sector was
65,000, registering a considerable drop (from about 82,000 workers) since 1981. The estimated
figure for 1987/88, according to the National Sample Survey, was of 80,000 persons. The number
has again increased due to some successful interventions in leather sub-sector in the state.
In leather-work, the tools and equipment are not very expensive, the critical element
being the availability of leather and the holding capacity for leather as a buffer for process
fluctuations. Therefore availability of credit is the defining constrain in the leather sub-sector,
which comes under the purview of the Khadi & Village Industries Board (KVIB). Consequently,
there is little incentive for other sources of institutional credit to finance small leather enterprises.
Between 1980 and 2000 Rajasthan’s leather industry has grown in urban areas, where there is an
ever growing demand for westernized footwear, garments and up market designer leather
products. On the other hand leather artisans, who continue to be concentrated in villages, continue
to cater to rural demand, which is stagnant because of limited purchasing power.
Poor institutional economics is also compounded by social factors. Communities that are
traditionally connected with leather work have been subject to social discrimination, due to the
stigma of ritual pollution that the caste system attaches to these castes. The unfavourable
economics of leather-work together with a quest for a new social identity have compelled many
to seek other livelihood options. An improvement in the economic benefits to small producers in
the leather sub-sector is therefore necessary to sustain interest and skill transfer over generations.
The high degree of segmentation in the leather sub-sector leads to higher transaction
costs and, consequently, to lower value addition. The further evolution of the leather sub-sector in
Rajasthan requires increased emphasis on technology & design up-gradation, standardization,
improved access to credit and marketing support. The success of “Operation Mojari”, an initiative
undertaken under the National Leather Development Programme, needs to be replicated on a
larger scale, if the state is to capitalize on the national and international demand for traditional
leather goods.

2. Scope of study
a) After collating the information of what has been done so far, two potential districts were taken
for further study.
b) The study has tried to establish the major concerns faced by this sub-sector by dealing all
contributing factors.
c) An overview of projects such as Operation Mojari, Caracas Utilization Plant, Effluent
Treatment Plant, Improved Vegetable Techniques by CLRI, design intervention by NIFT and
FDDI, marketing interventions such as IGLF and European Gift Fairs, etc have been done.

RMoL-BASIX 2
d) The study has covered various stakeholders like artisan families, RUDA, CLRI, Department of
Industries, IICD, Rajasthan Chamber of Commerce & Industries, SMART (an initiative of NLDP
after completion of Operation Mojari), SWRC etc.
e) An overview of the type of skills required in each activity from flaying till marketing
f) Suggestion on livelihood options and strategies at every level such as implementation,
collaboration and policy level.

3. Methodology
Both quantitative and qualitative information have been gathered through detailed
questionnaire, FGDs, interviews, discussions etc. For the same, available literature and all
possible means for secondary information have been explored along with direct questionnaires
for primary information. FGDs, formal/informal schedules in form of personal interviews with
various stakeholders to collect the information on raw material, value addition at each stage,
credit, technology, design, social taboos, market (local/export), profit margins, packaging,
branding, health issue, gender, child labour, employment and growth potential have been done
and analyzed.

4. Study Area and sample size

A. Jaipur –Udaipuria, Sanwardha, Dudu, Maanpur Macheri etc.

B. Nagaur – Kuchaman, Nava, Panchvan, Kukan wali, Choawa, Ghatwa, , etc.
C. Ajmer – Tilonia, Harmada, Jawanja,

To gratify the objectives, few Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) and technical agencies like
Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) as well as design agencies like Footwear & Design
Development Institute (FDDI), Indian Institute of Craft & Design (IICD) were also covered.
S.No Particular Number
1 District 03
2 Villages 13
3 Artisans 150
4 Flayers 15
5 Tanners 25
6 Livestock rearers 20
7 PIAs 02
8 Technical Agency 02
9 Design Agency 02

Four different set of schedules were designed to cover all the stakeholders like – livestock rearers,
artisan (flayer, tanner, artisans, traders, etc), project implementation agency (PIA) and technical
and design agencies.

The approach for selecting villages for the assessment was based on
 A large number of production units in the villages to encourage integrated approach of
intervention at the time of implementation.
 Different panchayat samitis (clusters of villages) to understand variation in demand
pattern of various services
Based on these parameters, a random sampling approach was adopted to select artisans from
different villages. About 10–12% of the total number of units was covered per village and over
200 respondents - artisans / tanners / flayers / livestock rearers / agencies were interviewed for the
study.

RMoL-BASIX 3
5. Findings and Analysis
India is endowed with about 10% of the world’s leather raw materials and exports constitute
about 2% of world trade. India exports leather products to countries such as the USA, Germany,
the UK, Italy, Spain, Hong Kong, France, Canada, Russia and Australia amongst others in the
form of:
 Leather footwear – casual shoes, sport shoes, safety boots, slippers and sandals
 Footwear components – shoe uppers, soles, sandal uppers, insole and socks lining
 Leather garments – jackets for men and women, overcoats, motorbike jackets, garments
for children and adults
 Leather goods – wallets, purses, handbags, belts, key chains, passport folders, spectacle
cases, hand gloves, portfolios, suitcases, harness and saddle items.

Based on the primary data collected from the field regarding flayers, tanners, artisans,
livestock rearers, marketers, technical agencies, implementing agencies, design agencies, etc
analysis has been given under these headings only. The data has been collected with the help of
structured and unstructured schedules and collated through tabulation method. Analysis is purely
based on the tables generated with the help of primary data from field.
Preliminary discussions with artisans from villages in the leather cluster indicate that there
are 28 villages in Jaipur with about 35 or more juti-making units.

5.1 Overall Occupational Profile - Artisans

Occupational profile elucidates the various occupations in which the respondents are
involved. 71% of the total respondents are involved in making the leather goods while 12% are
the tanners. 10% are the livestock rearers while only 7% of the total respondents are flayers. The
percentage wise distribution of the people involved in an occupation largely signifies that the
majority of the respondents fall in the artisan group while Flayers are minimal in number.
The activity of removing the hide of dead animals is known as flaying. Flaying has traditionally
been done by particular castes since this work is considered a “dirty & impure” task it has led to a
social stigma with this task, and as a result the other castes shunned this occupation.
When an animal dies, the flayers in the area are informed of its death, and the place where the
animal is lying. Flayers pick up the animal and take it some place outside the village; generally a
place designated for flaying, and flays the animal.
a) Education: Only 27 percent flayers are literate and 73 percent are illiterate. The reason
for poor education is that these flayers are very poor and secondly they are unaware about
the need of education.
b) Gainful employment: They are not employed for the whole year. They have work only
for 4 to 7 months, and the other months they don’t get any work to do since the leather
work in Rajasthan is seasonal and the flaying activity in itself is quite unorganized.
c) Working details: No flayer is working in a group. 100 percent of the respondents are
working on individual basis. They have not been associated with any SHGs. These
flayers are so poor and deprived one, they are generally treated as untouchable among the
untouchable, and they don’t hold any respect in the society. They don’t have any single
representative who can address their problems in any forum.
d) Training Program: The flayer community is the most deprived one socially as well as
economically. None of the respondents has attended any training program. These are the
people whose problems are least addressed.
e) Loan details: None of the respondents has availed the facility of loans. During the study
it was found that nobody was ready to give them loan, secondly these flayers are working
in their individual capacities and thus can’t take the benefits of group. Few of them had
availed the grants during some programs being run by the state government but none of
them have actually availed any type of loan as of now.

RMoL-BASIX 4
 f) Tools: They use very basic tools like scissors, rampi, ari and rope, but they lack the basic
knowledge of executing flaying, thereby causing damage to the hide. This in turn lowers
the returns.
g) Wages: Flayers are sometimes paid a token amount by the owner of the animal for lifting
the dead animal from the village. Payment is around Rs.10 or Rs.20 per animal. They are
employed for only part of the time because the number of dead animals is not enough to
provide full-time work.
Factors affecting the flaying sector:
1. Due to social factors, traditional flayers are leaving this occupation resulting in
the entry of new and inexperienced flayers which in turn is affecting the quality of
animal hide. There is neither any program nor attention, either from government or
from non government organizations. And the irony of the fact that we can not even
imagine having skyscrapers without having a good foundation, which is a good clean
hide.
2. Poor management of dead animals. Most of the times, flayers do not have
adequate means to transport the animal to a suitable place for flaying. Moreover they
don’t take much precaution to decompose the leftovers which is causing discern in
the society against the community.

5.2 Tanners
The normal form of tanning in Rajasthan is vegetable tanning. Vegetable tanned leather hides
are generally used for the tough leather shoes called jutis. Other uses are masks, parts of belts and
occasionally for bags, etc. The smoother and better quality leather popularly known as madras
leather is imported into the state and products made from them are mojaries, belts, purses, etc.
Such products are often decorated with embroidery from coloured threads, zari, cloth and small
metals. Sales of products from vegetable hides, especially the jutis are mostly in the village,
surrounding markets and bought by villagers.

Occupational Profile of Tanners

a) Education: Only 12 percent tanners are literate and 88 percent are illiterate. The reason
for poor education is that these tanners are very poor and cannot afford to send their
children to schools. Moreover their children also lend a helping hand in generating
income for the family.
b) Gainful employment: The tanners also are gainfully employed mostly between four to
seven months. 60 percent of the respondents work for four to seven months. Next to this
20 percent of the respondents are employed for eight to ten months. The poor status of
the tanners is related with the employment they are getting. The tanners don’t have
employment for whole year, so many a times they don’t have any work to do.
c) Health: Out of the total respondents 36 percent are suffering from TB. During this
season 24 percent of the respondents got caught of Chicken guinea. Other health
problems faced by the respondents are of asthma and backbone. 16 percent of the
respondents are suffering with the problem of backbone.
d) Training Program: The tanners need their capacity to build up but only 20 percent of
the respondents have attended skill training program. 20 percent of the tanners have taken
training on VT leather tanning techniques. But 80 percent of the tanners have not
attended any skill training program.
e) Loan details: Only 20% of the respondent tanners availed loan facilities while the
remaining 80% have not availed any kind of loan facility. Out of the 20 percent of the
respondents 60 percent of the loans are taken by moneylender. There are 20 percent
respondents who avail loan from the bank. People find it hesitant to move to bank for
availing loan as the process is quite cumbersome and these tanners find it difficult to

RMoL-BASIX 5
 understand. Out of the total respondents there are 20 percent who take loan from their
relatives. Although the banks are there but then also most of the respondents seek loan
from money lender for their needs. The reason for moving to moneylender is that they
don’t need any collateral security which the tanners are unable to provide. 60% of the
respondents avail loans for medical reasons. 20 percent of the respondents who avail loan
for the production purposes while other 20 percent of the respondents take loan for
consumption purposes i.e. for marriage.

The process of vegetable tanning followed in Rajasthan is as depicted below:

Raw leather Soaking Liming Dehairing Liming again

Coloring Malni Acidifying Deliming Take off peel

Bag based Harra To apply oil To set leather Drying

tanning

5.3 Artisans
It is estimated that nearly 90% of the leather artisans in Jaipur, Nagaur and Ajmer districts
undertake the production and sale of traditional leather jootis. Vegetable or country tanning of
leather, which was once a predominant activity in the sub-sector, is now limited to less than 10%
of the artisans. The main reasons for this are low returns from this activity and leather supplied to
chrome tanneries offer relatively better prices. Traditional jootis also known as Jaipuri jootis use
country-tanned leather for the sole. The upper portion of the jooti uses either chrome- or
vegetable-tanned leather. The market penetration of such jootis is mainly restricted to rural areas
of Rajasthan. The rural market for jootis has been shrinking because of the competition from low-
cost polyvinyl chloride (PVC) soled shoes and slippers.
a) Education: A considerable 40 percent of the 150 artisans who were interviewed are
literate and the remaining 60 percent are illiterate. The reason for a considerably higher
literacy rate is through government which is providing free education to the children of
the community.
b) Asset distribution: Out of the total respondents, 32 percent own cattle. Communication
facility is limited to only 12% of the respondents while 16% have TV in their homes.
Only 2% have two wheelers and 4% of the respondents have cycles.
c) Health: Out of the total respondents 13 percent of the respondents are facing the problem
of Chicken Guinea while 10 percent of the respondents are suffering from TB. The other
health problems allied within the respondents are problems of backbone, asthma,
swelling of leg. As the respondents are not perfectly well due to the above problems, it
consumes both their energy and money which in turn hampers their growth and
productivity.
d) Secondary occupation: Majority of the respondents also depend on a secondary
occupation like working for anganbari, embroidery, tanning, trading, which supplements
their primary income. 705 of the respondents are involved in such secondary occupations
while the remaining 30% have no secondary source of income.
e) Gainful employment: Only 47% of the total respondents are gainfully employed
throughout the year which is less than half of the total interviewees. 30% have an access
to income for 8-10 months. The dearth of work is pertinent as 19% of the total
respondents have a source of income for 4-7 months. For the rest of the year their
survival is really a matter of fear and concern to them. The 4% of the total who claim to

RMoL-BASIX 6
 get an employment of just 1-3 m are those who really fall much down in the theory of
existence and are severely marred by the existing competition.
f) Daily wages: 50% of the total respondents earn more than Rs. 125 everyday while 31%
earn in between Rs100-125 everyday. 14% earn in between Rs. 75-100 per day.
g) Skill Training Program: Only 305 of the total respondents have undergone skill training
programs while 70% have never been exposed to any kind of skill training and
development programs.
h) Bank account: Only 33% of the total respondents operate a bank account while the
remaining 67% have no bank account. The feeble economic condition of the artisans
hardly leaves any scope for savings.
i) Loan details: 68% of the total respondents depend on loans to meet their consumption as
well as production needs. Out of these 66% of the respondents depend on their relatives
to meet their loan needs. Only 10% of the total respondents avail loans from banks. 9% of
the total respondents depend on various other sources like traders and other informal
sources. They avail loans for purposes like purchase of raw material, agriculture,
festivals, domestic reasons like marriage and also for medical treatment. 51% of the
respondents who have availed the loan facility have repaid the loan along with the
interest while the remaining 49% have been unable to do so.
j) Work pattern and outline: 37% of the total respondents are involved in Mojari making
while 34% are involve in the surface ornamentation work. 13% are involved in
kashidakari work. Majority of artisans work on a piece wage basis while few of tem work
on contractual or commission basis.
k) Women employment: Of the total respondents, 66% of the wives of the interviewees are
involved in some or the other process of leather article making like kashidakari or
embroidery. 32% of the women counterparts are non-participative.
l) Children’s contribution in work: 71% of the total respondents say that their children do
not contribute to their work while 29% say that their children do contribute in their work.
m) Working hours: 38% of the total respondents work for 8-12 hrs while 14% of the
respondents do not work at all. 31% of the total work for 4-8 hrs in a day while 17 %
work for less than 4 hours in a day.
n) Land holding details: 31% of the total respondents have irrigated lands. 50% of the total
respondents have more than 5 acres of land. This land is not irrigated and does not
contribute to the income of these artisans. Only 15% of the respondents have land
holdings in between 2.5-5 acre and have partially irrigated land which contributes to the
secondary source of income for them. 4% of the respondents have less that 2.5 acre of
land.
o) Access to drinking water: 70% of the total respondents have access to portable drinking
water which is available to them from tube-wells and wells. In some households water
supply connection is also available. The remaining 30% have no access to a proper
source of drinking water and therefore have to largely depend on tanks (stored water).
p) Sanitation: Only 10% of the total respondents have a proper sanitary system in their
households. The remaining do not access to proper sanitary facilities. The existing
facilities even if they exist are kuccha or temporary in nature.
q) Working pattern: Of the total respondents, 82% of them are working on an individual
basis maintaining an individual link with the market and traders while only 18% are those
who are working in a group.

Artisans mainly producing mojaries want an additional source of income. They want to
undertake the production of leather goods in case there is a slack in the market for mojaries in
the future. Artisans who are involved in the production of traditional jootis perceive it as an

RMoL-BASIX 7
alternate livelihood which could provide them with a better source of income as compared to the
earnings from traditional jooti making.

5.4 Livestock rearers

The livestock population of Rajasthan is among the highest across Indian states. Yet there is a
shortage of usable leather due to various reasons. Most of the animals in the state are not healthy,
due to which the quality of the hides is not very good. The shortage in availability of good quality
leather is solely due to the non-commercial scale of livestock rearing. Till date the livestock
rearers do not rear their cattle or animals for the purpose of supplying quality leather to the
leather industries. This is why the sector which is growing at a fair pace in the demand of leather
goods is facing a prime difficulty in availing raw material for the same. The rearers have been
carrying out the occupation since ancient times and it is a traditional livelihood activity for them.
These rearers too live in a deplorable condition owing to their migratory nature. They also face a
lot of societal resistance and exclusion from the community due to their occupation.
a) Household information: Of the total 20 rearers who were interviewed, 15 lived in a
kuccha house while only 1 had a pucca house. The livestock rearers do not have a pucca
house as they have to keep shifting their residence from time to time according to the
availability of pasture land for their animals.
b) Drinking water accessibility: 45% of the total respondents had access to drinking water
while the remaining 55% did not have access to the same. The sources of drinking water
include wells and natural sources.
c) Land holding: 45% of the total respondents have less than 2.5 acres of land while 40%
of them have land holdings in between 2.5-5 acres. The land is used for housing purposes
and cultivating animal fodder. The remaining 155 of the respondents who have more than
5 acres of land are those who have ancestral land which is hardly of any use to them and
remains fallow.
d) Availability of pasture land: Only 155 of the total respondents have access to the
‘charagah’, ‘odhan’, ‘gocher’ or pastureland. The remaining 85% do not have access to
the pastureland and have to depend on the availability of pasture land and have to migrate
in search of pasture lands far away from their own villages.
e) Health: The livestock rearers for most of the time in a day have to stay along with their
animals, tending them, taking their care as well as rearing them. As a result the rearers
get infected with many bacterial and fungus infections. 23% of the total respondents are
affected from skin problems. 32% suffer from fungal wounds while 13% suffer from TB.
17% of the total respondents are anemic, 9% suffer from asthma and 6% are typhoid
patients.
f) Livestock and animals: Out of the total respondents, 11 respondents have buffaloes. 10
respondents have cows while 5 of them have sheep whose number varies in between 22-
300. 7 respondents have goats whose number varies in between 15-150. The number of
goats and sheep exceeds that of cows and buffaloes because it is easy to move the goats
and sheep to longer distances while for cows and buffaloes it is difficult. 60% of the
livestock rearers maintained good hygiene and cleanliness of the animals, their sheds and
also their surroundings. The remaining 40% were totally indifferent to the hygiene and
cleanliness of their animals.
g) Immunization of livestock and livestock rearers: 55% of the total respondents have
immunized their livestock against various diseases prevalent amongst the livestock. The
remaining 45% paid no attention to this aspect. Those who got their animals immunized
depended on private sources for doing so and expressed complete dissatisfaction with the
government services in this regard. Only 20% of the total respondents have taken a
vaccination for themselves or their family members. The rest have either not heard of the
same or are absolutely unaware of the vaccination types and programs.

RMoL-BASIX 8
 h) Investment on an animal per day: In case of cows and buffaloes, an average of Rs.30-
40 is spent everyday while in case of goats and sheep; the average expenditure varies
between Rs.15-25.
i) Animal deaths: The trend of death among sheep and goats are higher than in those of
cows and buffaloes. The livestock is very sensitive to extreme temperatures and die when
exposed to heat shocks. Many animals also die sue to diseases for which they have not
been immunized. Of the total number of respondents, 45% are those whose livestock
have not died in the past one year while 55% are those whose livestock have died due to
various reasons in the past one year.
j) Social taboo: Of the total respondents, 36% feel themselves as an outcaste. 38% are
considered to be untouchables while the remaining 26% suffer from various social
stigmas in the community.
k) Education of children: 55% of the respondent’s children are literate as they have
attended primary schools, But they do not know anything beyond writing their names.
45% however are illiterate and have never gone to school.
l) Awareness regarding government schemes: Only 30% of the total respondents seem to
be aware of the government schemes for their aid but the remaining 70% have never
heard of anything like government schemes for their aid.

5.5 Markets and market channels:

The leather traders supply raw hides, tanned hides, madras leather and offer raw material
on the one hand and link up the producers with markets on the other hand.
The Jaipur Haat is one of the main market channels for a majority of jooti producers. The
haat is not limited to jooti producers/wholesalers only from Jaipur district. They come all the way
from Nagaur and Ajmer.

5.5.1 The Jaipur Haat

This is one of the main market channels for a majority of jooti producers. It is not only
limited to jooti producers/wholesalers from Jaipur but also frequented by producers and
wholesalers from Nagaur, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Alwar and also Delhi. Mostly traditional jootis are
traded in the haat with relatively small quantities of shoes and slippers with PVC soles. The
purchase price of jootis varies depending upon the buyers, bargaining power and types of jootis
and also the volume of purchase.

5.5.2 Jaipur based wholesalers

There are some 15 wholesalers of jootis based in Jaipur. They purchase jootis from
artisans in the Jaipur haat, directly from the artisans who directly supply the jootis to their shops
in Jaipur, by placing orders with the artisans and also from wholesalers in other districts of
Rajasthan.

5.5.3 Jaipur based retailers

There are 50-50 exclusive retail shops for jootis in Jaipur. They procure jootis either
directly from artisans or from Jaipur based wholesalers. Retailers prefer to keep a profit margin of
25% on the cost price. The sale price varies depending on the type of customer; in most cases
customers resort to bargaining. This in-turn affects the profit margin, which could be in the range
from 5% to 25% for a pair of jootis. The average sales turnover of these retailers is about Rs.
2000 per day during the lean season and about Rs.6000 per day during the peak season.

5.5.4 Delhi (National)

Delhi is a very big market for mojaries and jootis of Rajasthan. Traders of Delhi are in
direct contact with artisans and small middlemen of Rajasthan. Now even few old artisans of

RMoL-BASIX 9
Udaipur have taken up the roles of traders of finished goods. They collect orders from
shopkeepers in Delhi and distribute among the artisans of Rajasthan and take back the final
products.

5.5.5 Export market SMART

Society for Marketing of Rural Things (SMART) is a body promoted by NLDP-FDDI
after the withdrawal of UNDP and RUDA from “Operation Mojari”. The organization was
created to support the artisans supported during the project by helping them in exports by
providing them new designs, promotion of brand – “Mojari”. But unfortunately only a handful of
artisans could be associated with SMART and produced high end mojaries for exports in
European countries, Middle East, etc.

6. Technical Agencies

6.1 Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI)

It was one of the technical agencies that were contacted during the study. Some of the
major details about the production of good leather quality were found at such institutes.

6.1.1 Leather Production Technology

There are two processes by which leather can be made.
1. Chemical Tanning: Under this technology, four main processes are involved:
i) Beam house process in which salt, dirt and hair are removed.
ii) Tanning under which the hide is treated with chemicals to produce leather. Chrome is the
most common tanning agent used in the world.
iii) Post tanning (wet finishing) which includes neutralization, re-tanning, dying and fat
liquoring.
iv) Finishing in which the leather is given the desired properties.
The quantity of pollution load generated by the leather industry can be reduced by:
 Process modification to reduce the generation of waste and pollutants in the beam house;
 Reuse of chemicals (mainly sulphides and chrome) and spent liquors
 Economical use and reuse of water

2. Vegetable Tanning
The most important organic tanning agents are the vegetable tannins present in tanning
liquors. They are prepared from certain parts of plants by aqueous extraction. Their tanning
power has been appreciated for a long time and Babylonian texts have recorded their use.
Vegetable tanning materials occur in nearly all forms of plant life. They are used commercially
where the amount of tan is high and large quantities can be extracted economically. Other
considerations are color and particular properties of the tan extracted.

6.2 Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI)

As part of the study, certain institutes involved in designing leather products were also
visited. FDDI is rated among the premier fashion and retail institutions in the world. It is widely
recognized as a center for excellence. It was set up by the ministry of commerce, GOI with an
objective to train the professional manpower for the industry. FDDI has presence in industrial
consultancy, research and development and training of active industry professionals. The mission
is the development and cultivation of the best available human resources within the country by
imparting knowledge and skills by conducting appropriate courses.

The process of leather product making followed at the institute involves the following processes:
 Paper pattern

RMoL-BASIX 10
  Embroidery on leather
 Footwear
 Lasting
 Soling
 Finishing
 Surface enhancement
The various machines required for the leather goods making purposes are:-
 Stitching m/c
 Single needle m/c
 Double needle m/c
 Multiple needle m/c
 Skiving m/c
 Cylindrical arms m/c
 Post bed lifted base for 3rd stitching

7. Major concerns
Like every other economic market sector, the leather sector has its own share of causes
and concerns to deal with. The artificial leather has deteriorated the market. The difference
between the natural leather product and the artificial leather product has become insignificant.
The process of determining the design that is moving in the market is to identify the need and
briefly deriving the collected information on ergonomics and finishes. To forecast designs, the
trends are aired from Italy and Germany one and a half years in advance at international fairs. For
design and trend a lot depends upon retailers and current affairs.
The resources in India are limited and due to negligible documentation there are no
evidences of the past and therefore no predictions can be made. Automation in leather is not
successful. Only 16-17% of the total demand can be fulfilled. Mojari supplies vis-à-vis demand
will always remain at a large gap due to the inability of the artisans to produce according to the
demand. Cost increases due to processes which are expensive. Standardization of products is not
feasible. Aesthetic value of the crafts, contemporary designs and use, available raw materials
must be used like textile instead of leather. Due to open market and technology interventions and
availability of cheaper substitutes makes the genuine craft suffer.

8. Corrective actions suggested

In order to promote the craft a thorough speculation is essential-promotion and creating
awareness, visibly needs to be increased up to 50 times. Sensitivity for the craft can be generated
through communication and awareness with appropriate channels and methods.
There is an acute need to understand that the mojaries can’t compete with NIKE shoes.
Craft has to sell in its own way; a different market has to be developed on a cluster basis.

9. Government sponsored programme interventions (Operation Mojari)

In order to develop the leather sub-sector in India, UNDP in association with the
Government of India initiated a programme called the National Leather Development Programme
(NLDP) in a number of states including Rajasthan. In Rajasthan, this programme is called
Operation Mojari and has been implemented by a state government organization called the Rural
Non Farm Development Agency (RUDA). To widen the market base for jootis, the programme
has taken a number of initiatives including introduction of new patterns in jootis and
mechanization of the production process by introducing machines for leather stitching, buffing,
punching and dyeing.

Goals:

RMoL-BASIX 11
  Design and market intervention
 Ensure enhanced and regular incomes for traditional artisans
 Generate sustainable employment for them in rural setting
 Create an economical production base with minimum overheads for the marketers
Stakeholders:
 Youth
 Women
 Rural Artisan Households
 RUDA
 UNDP
 NLDP
 Government of Rajasthan
 National Institute of Design
Description:
This project is geared to development of traditional leather shoes (Mojari). The project tries
to achieve its objectives by up-gradation of the product in consonance with the needs of the
market. Artisan households are provided with:
 Conforming patterns to impact more accuracy and enhanced comforts
 Contemporary styles and designs dovetailed with the existing skills
 Appropriate mechanization in processes of stitching and finishing
 Use of alternative materials
 Concept of packaging for organized marketing

10. Constraints and Suggestions

The major constraints vis-à-vis suggestions for development of the leather sub-sector in
Rajasthan are:
 Lack of high level attention to this sub-sector and the absence of promotional strategy
 Lack of high value leather goods production from the state
 Lack of quality raw material
 Decrease in flaying and tanning activities due to abandonment of these activities by the
traditional leather worker castes
 Lack of effort within the state to adopt different tanning techniques
 Product design is only in isolated pockets, spurred either by the tourist traffic in urban
areas, or by the export markets.
The following suggestions will prove useful in tackling the above mentioned problems:
 Exposure and trainings for rural artisans enabling them to pick up newer designs and
shapes which are currently in demand.
 Ensure that all dead animals are flayed in the proper manner and good quality hide is
made available.
 The government should take steps through NGOs and producer associations to provide
training to the new entrants in the field of flaying by holding camps. Later these camps
can also be used to train flayers in tanning activity.
 Overcome the problem of hard or saline water by calling CLRI to develop a
modernization plan for the Indian leather industry which suggested the use of ‘dry’
tanning techniques and the use of enzymes for soaking, degreasing and dehairing of the
hides.
 To improve the quality of raw material, the government should attract investment from
medium and large scale industrial groups by establishing ‘Leather Promotion Parks’ in

RMoL-BASIX 12
 the state. These parks should be run by the association of industries having stakes of
artisan representatives also.
 Provision of skilled human resource to the leather sector can be done through
establishment of training units by private sector units. On the other hand, the state
government should provide capital grant for facilities and also tapering operating support
to such private training institutions.
 Establishment of leather industry estates will help in improved local availability of
varieties of high quality leather and also systematize the process by establishing an
ancillary relationship between large and small units.
 Emphasis should be laid on development of related and supporting industries like those
for marketing and product design. For the market related services, the state govt. should
ask the council on leather exports to establish an office in the state. As this may not be
justifiable at this stage due to little exports from Rajasthan, the state may underwrite three
years’ expenses at the office. For product design, the state govt. should ensure that leather
is one of the main areas of attention by the Indian Institute of Craft & Design (IICD), in
the state.
 The state govt. should also ask the CLRI to set up an extension centre for leather in
Rajasthan. This center should focus on vegetable tanning, as also on sheep and goat skin,
which are abundant in the state.
 As many leather workers tend to live together in same vicinity, they join for many tasks
like purchase, sales, negotiations with bulk leaders, but in an informal grouping. These
could be converted into more active and stronger alliances under formal or even informal
organizations. For this to happen, it is important to involve NGO’s.

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 Tanning Process in a Nutshell Annexure I

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Composition of RMoL:

Sl. No. Name & Designation

1. Hon’ble Chief Minister Chairman
2. Shri M.L.Mehta, IAS (Retd.) , Ex-Chief Secretary, Dy. Chairman
Rajasthan

RMoL-BASIX 15
3. Dr N S Hegde, Chairman, BAIF, Pune Member
4. Dr Tushaar Shah, International Water Management Member
Institute
5. Shri V K Ladia, CMD, Shree Rajasthan Syntex Ltd. Member
Dungarpur
6. Shri Rajiv Jain, Managing Director, M/s Sambhav Member
Gems, Jaipur
7. Shri Dilip Baid, Chairman, Federation of Rajasthan Member
Handicrafts Exporters Association
8. Shri Brij Mohan, ED (Retd.), SIDBI, Lucknow Member
9. Shri Vikram Golecha, Ex. Chairman, CII, Member
Rajasthan Chapter
10. Shri Arun Goyal, Director, Academy of Business Member
Studies, New Delhi
11. Shri Ravi Srivastva, Professor, Center for Regional Member
Development Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi
12. Shri Vijay Mahajan, Chairman, BASIX Principal Advisor
13. Shri D P Bagchi, Former Secretary, SSI, GoI Principal Advisor
14. Shri Apurva Kumar, ED, Hotel Clarks Amer, Member
Jaipur

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