The country鈥檚 tanners expressed concern that this year鈥檚 rawhide collection during Eid-ul-Azha may fall slightly short of their target.
The industry had set a reduced target of collecting 8.5 million pieces, already lower than the past year鈥檚 9.5 million, due to market uncertainties.
However, based on the volume of hides gathered in major hubs like Savar鈥檚 Chamra Shilpa Nagari and Dhaka鈥檚 Posta area in the days following Eid, industry insiders said that they would be able to collect about 8 million pieces of rawhides this year, nearly 15 per cent lower than that of the last year.
According to the Department of Livestock Services, the country鈥檚 sacrificial performers sacrificed approximately 9.1 million animals, compared to 10.4 million in the last Eid-ul-Azha.
Sector insiders said that the reduction was primarily attributed to inflation, economic downturn, and persistent political instability.
The reduced number of sacrificial animals was expected to directly impact rawhide supply, as tanners typically collect about 50 per cent to 60 per cent of their total required leather during Eid-ul-Azha.聽
However, despite the likely shortfall, there is also cautious optimism within the industry as the rates of waste dropped significantly this Eid.聽聽
Speaking to 抖阴精品, Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA) chairman Shaheen Ahmed said that this year鈥檚 hide waste has been significantly reduced by around 15鈥� 20 per cent, thanks to better preservation practices and the early use of salt.
Meanwhile, the government stocked approximately 93,000 tonnes of salt ahead of Eid to ensure proper preservation of rawhide.
Shaheen Ahmed stated that, so far, nearly 5 lakh pieces of rawhides have arrived at Savar tannery, and they expect to collect about 80 lakh rawhides this year.
Sakhawat Ullah, senior vice-chairman of the BTA, echoed the same and added that they had just begun collecting hides from Dhaka, while larger volumes from outside districts are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
鈥榃e鈥檝e already received close to half a million hides at the tanneries. Collection from outlying areas will begin next week and continue over the next two to three months,鈥� he added.
He also said that tanners remain committed to purchasing hides at government-declared prices, provided that the preservation quality meets industry standards.
This year, the interim government set the prices of salted rawhide from cows at Tk聽60-65 per square foot in the capital, Dhaka, and Tk 55-60 per square foot outside the capital.
However, many seasonal traders claimed that they were unable to secure fair prices.
Some reported buying hides for Tk 700鈥�1,000, only to sell them to wholesalers at a loss for Tk 200鈥�300.
However, industry stakeholders argue that part of the issue lies in poor preservation knowledge.
They also stated that rawhides must be salted within 4鈥�6 hours after slaughter, or they begin to deteriorate.
In many cases, traders waited too long for better deals and ended up with spoiled hides, resulting in lower prices.
Moreover, it is also important to note that the government鈥檚 fixed prices applied only to salted hides, not raw, unsalted ones, they added.
If rawhides sold for Tk 700鈥�1,000, that would be considered a more substantial return than in previous years.
Posta in Dhaka remains a central wholesale hub where hides are brought, salted, and preserved before being sold to tanners. One bag of salt, priced at Tk 900鈥�950, is needed for every seven hides.
Moreover, labour and salting costs push total preservation expenses to around Tk聽1,100鈥�1,400 per hide, tanners said.
Manjurul Hasan, president of the Bangladesh Hides and Skins Merchants Association, told 抖阴精品 that they had already received around 70,000 hides in Posta, against their target of 100,000.
鈥榃e hope tanners would pay the government-declared rate, otherwise, our businesses will become unsustainable,鈥� he added.
According to the commerce ministry, as of June 11, approximately 2.7 million rawhides have been preserved in six divisions.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Ministry of Industries stated that a record number of hides, over 1.3 million, were preserved this year by orphanages and madrassahs.
Earlier on Tuesday, commerce adviser Sk Bashir Uddin said that rawhides of sacrificial animals during this Eid ul Azha were sold at the highest rate this time compared with the past 10 years.
