Leather


The leather industry in Uganda has a big potential to thrive. With a population of 5.6 million cattle, 1.3 million sheep and 4 million goats and off-take rates in the range of 15-17% for cattle, 25-35% for goats and sheep, the potential raw materials available in Uganda is about 1 million cattle hides and 2 million goats/sheep skins.

The favourable climatic conditions and fertile soils endow the country with considerable potential for livestock farming. This has enabled the livestock population to grow steadily at annual rate of 3%. However the existing leather processing capacity can only handle an estimated 3.1% of the available raw materials thus creating the potential for investment opportunities in the leather sector.

Uganda currently exports large amounts of unprocessed hides and skins. In the year 2000, export for raw hides/skin was 12,875 tons while only 412 tons of the wet blue hides/skins was exported Investment opportunities therefore exist in the processing of quality-finished leather.

In the year 2000 there was no exports for crocodiles skins and yet. Uganda has a CITES export quota of 2500 crocodiles skins annually granted in 1992 which has never been met. Investment in the crocodile farming is therefore a profitable venture.

There are virtually no modern slaughter facilities outside the major urban centers. Investing opportunities in the upcountry slaughterhouses as well as slaughter slabs is essential for improved hides/skins quality for leather processing.

The maximum sustainable yield of fish in the lakes within Uganda is estimated at 300,000 metric tons. 

Opportunities

Investment opportunities in the sector exist in the following areas:
· Construction of modern slaughter houses 
· Tanning of hides and skins
· Tanning of high value fish skin 
· Rearing of ostrich for their high value skins
· Crocodile and fish farming

Click here for details of about the opportunities in this sector

Contact us at:
The Investment Centre
Plot 28 Kampala Road
P.O. Box 7148
Kampala - Uganda
Tel: (256-41) 251562/5, 251854/5
Fax: (256-41) 342903
E-mail: info@ugandainvest.com