Cow ban leaves cobblers down at heel
AGRA: In the backstreets of Agra’s Muslim quarter, where shoes have been made for centuries, small-scale makers are firing workers and families are cutting back on spending as a state crackdown on cattle slaughter rips through the community.
The election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) three years ago has emboldened right-wing Hindu groups to push harder for protection of the cow, an animal they consider sacred.
Authorities in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, started closing down unlicensed abattoirs in March, immediately hitting production and sales in the Muslim-dominated meat industry.
Last month, Modi’s government also banned trading cattle for slaughter, including not just cows, whose killing was already outlawed in most states, but also buffaloes, animals used for meat and leather.
Now the squeeze is spreading to others in the Muslim minority and to lower-caste Hindus who cart cattle, labour in tanneries and make shoes, bags and belts – including for brands such as Zara and Clarks.
Frequent attacks by right-wing Hindus against workers they accuse of harming cattle have further rattled the industry.
Much of India’s meat and leather trade takes place in the informal economy, meaning the impact of the closing of illegal abattoirs and ban on trading for slaughter is hard to measure. Cattle markets are reporting a big slowdown in trade, and tanneries a shortage of hides.
Abdul Faheem Qureshi, a representative of India’s Muslim Qureshi community of butchers, said that in Uttar Pradesh, some markets trading 1 000 animals last year were now down to as few as 100.
The decline means fewer jobs for two of India’s poorest communities, and risks inflaming social tensions at a time when Modi has vowed to boost employment and accelerate economic growth ahead of the next general election in 2019.
Some leather manufacturers support the state government’s move, arguing that allowing only licensed abattoirs to operate will clean the industry’s image. Bigger exporters say they have enough leather as they source hides widely, including abroad.
Still, millions work in the meat and leather industries, which are worth more than $16 billion (R201bn) in annual sales.
Along the narrow shoemaking lanes, a crowd of Muslims breaking their Ramadaan fast gathered recently, shouting angrily that they were no longer safe to trade buffaloes, buy cow leather for shoes or to do work their community has done for centuries for fear of being attacked.
“They want to weaken us. They want to snatch our bread,” said 66-year-old Mohammad Muqeem, whose workers stitch $3 shoes in his cellar. His monthly income has halved to $300 since last year. His dozen casual workers, down from 40, now use synthetic materials.