Bogra traders incurring losses by purchasing rawhide at govt rate

BOGRA, Sept 10: Seasonal rawhide traders of the district are incurring sharp losses by purchasing it at the rate fixed by the government this season.
The traders of Sutrapur, Badurtola, Rahmannagar, Jamilnagar, Katnarprar, Khander, Sabujbag and Charmatha are seen lamenting for the present market prices of rawhide after Eid. They are unable to transact the skin in the big makeshift due to low rate.
Now, the small and middle traders are gathering in the noted market to sell the material at a good price but the big leather merchants are not showing the interest to expand the business enterprise in this season as they had made big losses in previous year.
In recent visit this correspondent found the each square feet rawhide is being sold from Tk 70 to Tk 80 in the godown elsewhere the district. Rather business ministry orders to transact each square feet material from Tk 40 to Tk 45 for the northern district. If they follow the order of the concern ministry, they would not buy the material.
Each sack of 50 kgs of salt was being sold at Tk 900 to Tk 950 before Eid but it is being sold at Tk 1500 to Tk 1600 across the area after the second largest festival of the Muslims.
The traders expected to purchase Tk 300 million rawhide this season, said trader Lokman Hossain of Bogra Sadar. The big traders didn't get the full payment of previous year as the price of the material was low, he added.
The tannery owners have bought some 60,000 rawhide of cows and some 60,000 to 70,000 of goats and sheep this Eid-ul-Azha, said organising secretary of Rawhide Business Owners' Samity in Bogra Bazlur Rahman.
High prices of salt hinder the large traders massively, said businessman Saruj Hossain. "To process a rawhide for selling, we have to spend Tk 300 to Tk 350", he added.
President of Bogra Chamber of Commerce and Industry Masudur Rahman Milan said the big rawhide traders have purchased the material with a high rate than the previous year. The authority concerned needs to heed in the industry, he added.
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