CHATTOGRAM, Aug 27: Owners of leather storages or godowns in the port city sold rawhides worth around Tk 200 million (Tk 20 crore) during and after Eid-ul-Azha this year, celebrated on July 21.
Sources said there are a total of 112 wholesale leather traders or rawhide hoarders in Chattogram city, who own rawhide depots or storages at Anturar Depot in Muradpur area.
The traders collected more than 0.3 million pieces of rawhide of sacrificial animals from the city and other parts of Chattogram district during the Eid-ul-Azha.
Of the rawhides, 276,050 pieces are skins of cows and buffaloes and 25,200 pieces are skins of goats and sheep.
Mohammed Moslem Uddin, President of Chattogram Leather Aratdar Samity told the FE on Friday that they had collected more than 0.3 million hides in Chattogram in the current year.
Of those, over 150,000 pieces were collected from the southeastern divisional city and its outskirts while the remaining from different upazilas and rural areas of the district.
Sources said most of the hoarders purchased rawhides at a nominal rate or throwaway prices.
"We have sold the rawhides at the government-fixed rates. Rawhides worth around Tk 20 crore were sold in the current year," Moslem Uddin said.
He noted that Chattogram-based Reef Leather procured 0.15 million pieces of leather this year.
He expressed satisfaction at the government-fixed rates of rawhides and the overall hides business this season.
The government fixed the price of salted cow skin at Tk 33-37 per square foot outside Dhaka this year, which was Tk 28-38 per square foot last year.
The official price of the salt-applied cow skin for this season in Dhaka was Tk 40-45 per square foot which was Tk 35-40 last year.
The government fixed prices of Khasi (goat) skin at Tk 15-17 per square foot across the country this year, which was Tk 13-15 last year. Besides, the price of bakri (goat) skin was fixed at Tk 12-14 per square foot for this year's Eid, which was Tk 10-12 last year.
Sources said that in the previous two seasons, many people have either thrown away or buried rawhide in many areas of the country, including Chattogram, because of low prices or nominal prices offered by the seasonal traders.
A regular trader of Chattogram, however, claimed that a large quantity of hides was damaged in Chattogram this year as only a few wholesalers and seasonal traders were interested to purchase the raw material for leather and leather goods during Eid-ul-Azha this year.
Many people gave away the rawhide while many did not bother to take care of the hide this year, he added.
Another trader said that he bought rawhide at a high price after reading newspaper reports that the price of the hide was good this year.
But, he said, he had to sell the salt-applied skins of bull and buffalo at rates far below the government-fixed ones.
In the capital, prices of rawhide had also been low during this year's Eid like the last year's festival.
Another regular trader of Chattogram city said many seasonal traders brought the rawhide late this season. As a result, the quality of skin deteriorated and some had to take back the skins after failing to sell them.
He said a huge number of goat and sheep skins were also damaged in Chattogram due to lack of buyers.
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