Three leather sector associations of the country will fix within next 48 hours the purchasing prices of rawhide of sacrificial animals in and outside the capital during Eid-ul-Azha. Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA), Bangladesh Hide and Skin Merchants Association (BHSMA) and Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather-goods and Footwear Exporters’ Association (BFLLFEA) will fix the buying prices of rawhide of sacrificial animals. The decision came at a meeting between the ministry of commerce (MoC) and the leather associations held at the ministry on Monday. The meeting was presided over by commerce minister Tofail Ahmed. Senior secretary of the MoC Hedayetullah Al Mamoon moderated the meeting. Senior officials of the ministry, high officials concerned and representatives from BTA, BHSMA and BFLLFEA were present in the meeting. “It is necessary to fix the procurement prices of rawhide before Eid-ul-Azha. It has to be ensured that people are not deprived of fair price of their rawhide. Besides, we have to take leather traders into consideration so that they are also not affected,” the commerce minister said. The government will not tolerate any kind of syndication about the rawhide of sacrificial animals. Traders, buyers and purchasers will be affected if the prices of rawhide are not fixed, he added. Buying prices of rawhide of sacrificial animals will be fixed within next 48 hours, leather traders told reporters after the meeting. “Seasonal traders (foria) often create an unusual situation if the procurement prices of rawhide of sacrificial animals during Eid-ul-Azha are not fixed. So, we have agreed with the government to fix the buying prices of rawhide,” BTA president Shahin Ahmed told the meeting. “About 30-32 per cent of leathers procured last year have remained stored. The prices of rawhide have declined significantly in the international markets. We will fix the buying prices of rawhide of sacrificial animals reasonably,” he also said. Necessary steps have been taken to stop smuggling of rawhide, representatives of law enforcement agencies informed the meeting. Presently, prices of leather in India are lower. So, there is a possibility of smuggling rawhide to the neighbouring country, the leather traders said. It is a challenge for traders to preserve rawhide due to shortage of necessary capital. Over Tk 300 will be needed to process each rawhide. For this, the government should ensure supply and price of salt as early as possible, the leathers added. “We will sit with salt traders day after tomorrow,” Hedayetullah said at the meeting. Prices of rawhide may decrease this year, sources concerned told the FE on Monday last. Last year, the prices of cow rawhide had been fixed at Tk 50-55 per square foot (sft) in Dhaka and Tk 40-45 per sft outside the capital for the Eid season. Besides, the tanners in city bought per sft of salted goatskin at Tk 20-22 and those outside Dhaka at Tk 15-17 while salted buffalo skin at Tk 35-40. Over 3.29 million of cows have been fatten in the county. More or less 65 per cent of the country’s annual demand for hides and skins are met from animals sacrificed during Eid-ul-Azha, according to traders.
