(3 minutes read)
· Kenya is putting to use fish skins, which used to be treated as waste, making them pricy goods in the international market
· The fish skin, which used to be treated as waste and thrown out, is now being used for manufacturing a range of products such as leather shoes, wallets, belts and handbags
· Over 80 women are engaged in this occupation, which starts from scaling fish skins, then processing and converting into desirable products
Kenya is putting to use fish skins, which used to be treated as waste, making them pricy goods in the international market. The fish skin, which used to be treated as waste and thrown out, is now being used for manufacturing a range of products such as leather shoes, wallets, belts and handbags.
Over 80 women are engaged in this occupation, which starts from scaling fish skins, then processing and converting into desirable products. There is a chain of activities that take place between scaling the fish to selling the converted products in the market. Women who scale the skin buy the fish from the fishermen, and after scaling them, sell the skin to middle men, who in turn, sell them to the small-time manufacturers of articles like wallets, belts, shoes etc.
Once processed and dried, the skins are bought by businessmen. Presently, there is an increased demand for such products in the market. Most of those demands are coming from non-traditional sources. There are people who export fish skin products to markets including Canada, United States, Denmark, Ethiopia and South Africa. Efforts are underway to value add to these products, which have found acceptance in increasing number of countries.
