Prevalence and Quality of Common Skin Defects in Tanneries Around Bahir Dar by Hafeezullah Memon, Eldana Bizuneh Chaklie and Mulugeta Muche Birhanu

Abstract

The leather and leather products industries play a significant role in the Ethiopian economy due to the country’s enormous potential in livestock. However, the sector is losing a substantial amount of revenue because of quality issues and declining export prices resulting from the degradation of skins and hides. The primary objectives of this paper are to assess current quality levels, identify the most prevalent types of defects, and determine their occurrence in pickled and wet blue skin defects at the Bahir Dar and Anbessa tanneries. This study employs a cross-sectional survey and observations, gathering both qualitative and quantitative data. Consequently, the common defects found in Ethiopian hides and skins that exhibit higher prevalence and severity levels have been analyzed. According to the data, scratches (89%) and cockle (86%) were identified as major defects on goat skins, while holes (86.5%) and cockle (81%) were the primary defects on sheep skins. 
Understanding the consequences of various types of defects is essential for tanneries, as no two defects impact the material’s value or quality in the same way. Thus, this study highlights the key areas companies should focus on and provides valuable insights and data to guide future research aimed at improving skin processing practices.