Govt forms bodies to scan rawhide issue

The government has formed four high-powered committees to oversee overall management, including purchase and sale, transportation and preservation of rawhide and skins of sacrificial animals during Eid-ul-Azha.
The bodies are a commerce secretary-led central coordination committee, a 24-member monitoring team, a divisional committee and a district committee.
It has also constituted an 11-member control cell comprising high officials of commerce ministry.
Commerce ministry issued circulars to this end on Thursday.
Under the move, the committees will take measures to facilitate smooth transportation of rawhide, alongside providing necessary suggestions, during the second-largest religious festival of Muslims.
The cell will monitor the salt market situation in the country and take steps to supply salt for preserving animal skins.
"If any abnormal situation arises over rawhide and skins of sacrificial animals, the cell will take quick steps to fix it," said a senior ministry official.
Another high official of the ministry said, "We'll also take steps to ensure fair prices of rawhide of sacrificial animals during Eid-ul-Azha."
More than 50 per cent of rawhide and skins are usually collected during this Eid of sacrifice. The Bangladesh Tanners Association expects that some 12.5-million pieces of rawhide and skins are likely to be collected during this Eid.
The figures include some 10-million skins of cows and buffaloes and 2.5 million pieces of goats and sheep.

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