Leather Sector of Rajasthan :

The traditional leather workers of Rajasthan are from the raigar community – one of the lowest castes in the social scale. They are involved in all the operations of the leather subsector in the state such as tanning (mainly vegetable tanning), production of leather goods and sale of the goods in local markets. Jaipuri jooti (traditional slip-on leather shoe with a pointed toe and no heel) is the main product of these artisans.

Jooti :

 There are no medium or large scale companies at least in Jaipur and Dausa district of Rajasthan that produce jootis similar to those produced by artisans. These jootis are produced in various designs exclusively by artisans in Rajasthan and cater to different market segments including rural and urban consumers of various income groups. There are no imports products of this kind that compete with jootis. Further, we have not so far come across any other inexpensive slip-on shoes other than jootis. Therefore, this is an exclusive product in this product category. There is tough competition in the market for the jooti product.

Jootis face competition in the market mainly from modern footwear which is a substitute for jootis. The level of competition is different in different market segments. Rural consumers mainly from the low income category have the choice of using low priced plastic and other synthetic footwear. Urban consumers mainly from middle and upper income groups prefer modern leather shoes or sandals from branded and unbranded companies. There does not appear to have been any growth in the demand for jootis in any of the consumer segments including rural consumers. One of the main reasons for this perceived by the EDA team is that in areas other than Rajasthan and Punjab people wear jootis occasionally and they do not treat this footwear as something to be used on a daily basis. There is some potential in the export market due to ethnic characteristic of jootis but this needs to be explored further. The demand for jootis in all metropolitan cities can be explored since this product can be attractive to high income group consumers as an ethnic fashion accessory.

 Therefore, jooti is a product that seems to have a demand potential restricted by fashion trends and regional preferences rather than being a product for a modern mass market. Presently jooti production is associated with the following characteristics :

•  A low return to artisans from the activity .
• A decline in overall market demand, however export potential can be explored .
•  Market constraints, as discussed above.
•  The young generation not very keen on using jootis since they prefer modern footwear.

Kupi :

 A bottle made of camel hide to keep oil or 'attar' (perfume) is a speciality of Bikaner.Leather is also an essential raw material for making musical instruments such as the tabla, dhol, kamaycha. These instruments are used by Rajasthani folk musicians. 

 Other Leather goods :

 Leather goods production in Rajasthan is very limited because artisans do not have adequate skills to produce them even though they have the basic skills of leather stitching. There is a mass market for leather goods in domestic and overseas markets. People from all income groups use leather goods – such as handbags, wallets/purses and belts – in their daily life. There is tough competition in this product category. There are a large number of small, medium and large enterprises that produce branded and unbranded leather goods for different consumer segments. There is a general perception that the demand for leather goods is increasing in the domestic and international markets and it is likely to increase in the future also. There is a good level of return to artisans from the production of leather goods.

Designer hand-bags, purses, belts, hats, stools and collapsible chairs with graphic embroideries made from leather at Tilonia village near Ajmer is also example of good craft man ship.

Market opportunity in the sector  :

Based on the present market trend for jootis and leather goods, at this stage, it seems that enabling artisans to produce leather goods that have a mass market could be an appropriate strategy for increasing returns to artisans. Simultaneously, other markets including exports could be explored for the jooti product. This leads to the identification of appropriate BDS  (Business Development Services ) for different stakeholders and players in the market chain so that artisans eventually start producing a variety of leather goods and increase the proportion of leather goods production gradually.

BDS could be offered to artisans on technical and design inputs. The capacity of private suppliers who can provide quality BDS to artisans for leather goods production could be built so that the provision of appropriate services to artisans and other players in the market chain could be ensured. In this way, artisans would serve the increasing demand for leather goods and generate reasonable return from the activity. For this purpose, appropriate strategies for promoting BDS suppliers for leather goods promotion will need to be developed.