Tk 20m hides of sacrificial animals lying unsold

PABNA, Nov 17 (UNB): Hides of sacrificial animals, bought during the Eid-ul-Azha, worth about Tk 20m remain unsold worrying the traders of Ishwardi upazila in Pabna. They are frustrated for not getting due prices of the hides. Asaduzzaman Asha, trader of hide godown, said that 6,000 pieces of hides of cow and 14,000 pieces of hides of goat were bought during the Eid. Each cow hide cost between Tk 2,000 and Tk 2,200 and each goat hide Tk 350. The regular traders failed to gain advantage this year as the middlemen and seasonal traders collected hides at field level taking advantage of huge mount of hides in the upazila, he said. Traders said they are in trouble as they bought hides from middlemen and seasonal traders because of low prices of hides in international markets. Hide trader Nazrul Islam said a local syndicate secretly used to smuggle out goat hides to India by river route earlier for its high prices and demand there. The gang is no longer active now because of reduction in prices of hides and drop in its demand in the neighbouring country, he said. Another hide trader SM Raja said many middlemen bought hides though 2530 regular hide traders are involved in hide business. The irregular traders without understanding anything bought hides and later sold it haphazardly. Regular traders, who took money in advance from tannery owners in Dhaka and Noapara, are facing trouble now.