KARACHI - Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) has reiterated its demand to impose ban on export of livestock instead of curbing export of meat, said a press release issued her on Monday. On a report of government consideration to impose ban on meat export for a certain period of time, the Chairman PTA commented that before taking this decision should curb massive smuggling on the pretext of export of animals from the country which is not only causing huge monetary losses to the national exchequer but we are losing our precious livestock extremely important to our leather as well as export oriented meat industry. He pointed out that exporters have sent over 0.329 million animals abroad during 2009-10 which is a sheer loss to the country as if they would have been exported even in the shape carcasses after slaughtering they would have yield 100 times more foreign exchange and the leather industry too would be surviving with getting raw material such as skins and hides. In the recent devastating floods over 550,000 animals including goats, cows, buffaloes and sheep have drowned due to which country was already facing shortage of livestock. He warned that if the export and smuggling of livestock would not be curbed Pakistan may face scarcity of livestock in near future. He said that instead of exporting livestock adopt a policy of export of meat in order to earn more foreign exchange and provide raw material to the leather industry. He said that the exports of leather are declining due to the shortage of skins and hides and the increasing price of raw material.