Italy, like other European markets, may also be affected by the lawsuit over the export of tanned leather from Kenya. The Italian leather goods sector, renowned worldwide, relies heavily on the import of bovine and sheep hides from the African country.
Now the issue is becoming problematic because of export taxes, which have created tension between the associations of "crude" and tanners in Kenya, with tons of material at risk of rotting.
The former, in fact, complain that they cannot have a budget of more than 2 million unsold hides, blocked in warehouses by an export tax of 80%. The fourfold - they point out - compared to 20% imposed on the sale of tanned leather.
"We work like mules but the tanners enjoy all the advantages - said the representative of the traders Torome Keresheu from the newspaper The Standard -. The government should reverse these percentages. The heavy pounce, is the accusation of the crude oil workers, significantly increases the cost of the domestic raw material without counting the additional difficulties caused by the growing import of synthetic materials. For this series of reasons, the producers have put forward a proposal: 6 months tax exemption for the export of raw materials. This would, they argue, reduce the stock and prevent the hides from deteriorating.