Khartoum: Livestock production expert Rania Muawiya Abdul-Razig has stressed the importance of developing and improving Sudan's leather value chain, underscoring its potential as a key economic resource. She explained that Sudan holds the leading position in Africa and the Arab world in terms of livestock population, estimated at approximately 112,038,000 head in 2025, according to reports issued by the Digital Transformation Unit at the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.
According to Sudan News Agency, the livestock production expert noted that leather products from factories and workshops continue to supply both local and regional markets, adding that demand for these products has remained steady even amid the war. However, she emphasized that maximizing the sector's economic return requires comprehensive improvements across the entire value chain. This includes enhancing quality standards starting from grazing and animal husbandry, through slaughtering and skinning processes, followed by proper preservation, transport, and storage, and extending to advanced manufacturing into high-quality leather products suitable for export.
She also reviewed leather export performance over recent years, indicating significant fluctuations in revenues between 2019 and the first quarter of 2026. According to data from the National Leather Improvement Centre at the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, total export revenues reached USD 783,280 in the first quarter of 2026. Export earnings amounted to USD 14,185,278 in 2025, compared to USD 2,750,105 in 2024, and USD 3,685,831 in 2022. In 2021, exports stood at USD 5,669,442, while in 2020 they reached USD 4,845,673, and in 2019 USD 8,763,492.
Rania Abdul-Razig further stated that the leather sector represents a vital component of the meat industry and a promising economic resource. She noted that, according to pre-war estimates from the Ministry of Industry, annual leather industry revenues were valued at around USD 35 million. However, she pointed out that this figure does not reflect the sector's true potential due to significant losses and inefficiencies in slaughtering, skinning, and preservation processes, particularly in recent periods.