Rajshahi, Natore traders apprehending rotting of stored rawhide

Low prices dishearten Tangail seasonal merchants

Our Correspondent | Published: September 02, 2018 21:26:55

RAJSHAHI, Sept 02: Rawhide traders of Rajshahi and Natore were apprehending rotting of their stored, salt processed hide because of an unnatural delay in carrying those hide to the tanneries in Dhaka.
As a result, rawhide traders here were in a great anxiety with their stored hide to be rotten and damaged as well as a very low market price of those.
They were apprehending a massive loss if the hides are not taken by the tannery owners in Dhaka shortly.
Local hide traders informed, the price of rawhide was far less this year than that of last year. Even, the government fixed price of rawhide was less this year as against a higher price and goat, cow and buffalo.
Even, after purchasing raw hide at government fixed price, the price of that now stood nearly double after salt-processing and storing.
Now they were worried whether they would be able to sell those hide to the tanners at a satisfactory price.
Asaduzzaman Masud, President of Rajshahi District Hide Traders' Group informed, most of raw hide from Rajshahi has been sent to the wholesale raw hide market of Natore where tannery owners from Dhaka would visit and purchase the hide.
Already some tannery owners in Dhaka have started to visit there. He further mentioned, some raw hide in Rajshahi were on the process of rotting.
On the other hand, raw hide traders in Rajshahi claimed, due to warm weather and delay in purchasing hide by tannery owners in Dhaka was threatening stored raw hide to be rotten.
They further said large tannery owners and hide traders used to purchase rawhide through their agents and seasonal traders from the very Eid day.
They used to process those rawhide with salt and stored those for couple of days. Tannery owners purchase those hide and carry those to Dhaka.
They said due to mixing of low amount of salt, hide mixed with spec of flesh and fat help a speedy rotting of hide.
In previous years, tannery owners in Dhaka used to purchase raw hide soon after the Eid but this year an unnatural delay in purchasing those is threatening to damage the hide as well as loss of local hide traders.
Abdul Jabber, a hide trader in Belpukur rawhide store in Rajshahi said they have already started to send hide to wholesale depot of Natore.
But, the tanners from Dhaka were making excessive delay in purchasing and carrying the hide which was threatening the stored raw hide to be rotten.
Our Tangail correspondent adds: Seasonal rawhide traders of the district are in difficult situation as the wholesalers are offering them the price with is below their purchasing cost.
Sources said seasonal traders purchase rawhide direct from locals during Eid-ul-Azha festival and then sell those to the wholesalers in the district town to make some profit.
Trader Ashfaq Ali of Mowlana Bhashani Road in the district town said skin preservation cost has increased by 15 per cent to 20 per cent this season.
Prices of salt have increased by Tk 100 to Tk 120 per maund which is the main ingredient for preserving the rawhide.
Seasonal rawhide trader Habil Miah said there were more than 500 people in the district who were engaged with this business but the number has decreased due to dull market.
A single of cow rawhide (large) is selling Tk 500 to Tk 700 and small one at Tk 200 to Tk 300.
Besides, goat and sheep skins are selling at Tk 40 to Tk 50 per piece.
A good number of rawhide traders said tannery owners in Dhaka do not pay their dues timely.
As a result small traders in the district face serious fund shortage every year.