China breaks new ground in leather technology

In a hotel conference-room-turned classroom on the outskirts ofthe Chinese capital, more than 50 leather experts from around theworld are poring over thick textbooks full of chemical statements.

At the expense of the Chinese government, the students from 36countries, including Kenya, are learning how to turn cattle hidesinto finished Leather / Hides using the latest technology.

The idea is to share the vast know-how gained by China in the last20 years of its rise to leather producing heavyweight, says courseorganiser, Yu Shuxian, a senior engineer at the China Leather andFootwear Industry Research Institute.

“We want to help developing countries grow theirindustry,” she told Business Daily. The countriesparticipating include Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe,Zambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and more from South America and Asia.

China’s Ministry of Commerce is funding students’flights, accommodation, month-long training course and visits tolocal tanneries as part of its assistance to developing countries.