The government has increased the price of rawhides of sacrificial animals (cows) by 6 percent this year as the per square feet rawhides (rubbed with salt) of cows in Dhaka has been fixed at Taka 50-55 which was Taka 47 to 52 last year.
The price of per square feet rawhides (with salt) of cows outside of Dhaka has been fixed at Taka 45-48 which was Taka 40-44 last year.
The tannery traders would have to buy such rawhides with the fresh fixed price.
On the other hand, the price of goat hide has remained unchanged across the country as the per square feet Khasi goat hide (with salt) has been fixed at Taka 18-20 while that of the per square feet Bakri goat hide at Taka 12-14.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi informed this after chairing a meeting on fixing the fair price and proper management of raw hides held at the Commerce Ministry conference room today.
He said that if the unholy traders try to manipulate the price of rawhides, then the government would give permission for export of rawhides.
Answering to a question, Tipu said that if the tannery traders intentionally try to reduce the price of rawhides, then permission would be given for exporting rawhides abroad. "Hopefully that will not happen,"
he informed that the Ministry of Commerce alongside the other concerned agencies and divisions will continue their joint strong vigil to avert any possible manipulation regarding the price of rawhides.
Besides, the concerned deputy commissioners, divisional commissioners, police and others will continue their strong monitoring in this regard.
Terming rawhides as the property of the state, Tipu urged all concerned so that these rawhides are not damaged due to the negligence of the concerned stakeholders.
Noting that rawhides often get rotten if those are not properly rubbed with salt within 7 to 8 hours of the slaughtering of the sacrificial animals, he also called upon all concerned to rub salt in the raw hides in proper manner and thus preserve those. The print and electronic media alongside the social media can play a big role towards creating mass awareness in this regard, he added.
The Commerce Minister said that in order to ensure proper management, all concerned stakeholders have been urged not to send rawhides to Dhaka from outside within seven days of the Eid Ul Azha. The salted rawhides across the country would be brought to Dhaka in phases.
Mentioning that the country has witnessed a record production of salt this year, he said that there is no deficit of salt in the country urging all for properly preserving the rawhides after applying salt properly on the rawhides.
He said that considering the current weather, the Ministry of Industries has been asked to ensure supply of salt to the market so that there is no artificial crisis of salt while its price also remains under control.
Commerce Ministry senior secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh, representatives from the Local Government Division, Ministries of Industries, Fisheries and Livestock, Bangladesh Bank, tannery owners and businessmen of the leather sector were present, among others, at the meeting.
Source: BSS