Tanners fear a lot of rawhides may get rotten before reaching the Savar leather estate this year because of the poor condition of the roads and highways.

Rawhide-laden trucks will have to wait for hours on the roads to enter the estate after crossing tailbacks at Hemayetpur in Savar, said Mohiuddin Ahmed Mahin, president of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leathergoods and Footwear Exporters Association.

The trucks may also tilt aside on the way from Hemayetpur to the estate, as the condition of the connecting roads has become very poor and risky already, he said.

The hot and humid weather will also play a role for the rawhides to get rotten before reaching their destination, he said at a press briefing in Dhaka yesterday.

The association urged the government to take immediate measures to improve the condition of the roads and highways for the sake of the sector.

They also demanded the salt prices to be lowered and an uninterrupted supply of gas, power and water for their businesses. In the previous years, the rawhides used to enter the Hazaribagh tannery estate through different points, but this year the situation is different, Mahin said.

To tackle the situation, the tanners have specially advised the local traders to be cautious for transportation and preservation of the rawhides this year, he said.

Any damaged hides may also create public sufferings in Savar areas, he said, adding that rawhides need to be treated with adequate amount of salt within six hours of the skinning of cattle.

Last year, around 30 percent rawhides were damaged as salt was not applied on them in time, according to Mahin.

“The tanners will try to preserve the quality of the rawhides, but it would be difficult if the government does not move soon for quick transportation of the skins.”

Usually a bag containing 75kg of salt costs Tk 400-500, but the price increases before Eid-ul-Azha, when 50 percent of the country's annual requirement of rawhide is collected.

Now such a bag of salt is sold at Tk 1,200, Mahin said.

Six to eight kilograms of salt are required for a medium-sized rawhide, while a large-sized rawhide may consume 10 to 12 kgs.

Mahin suggested the government ensure timely import of five lakh tonnes of salt to meet demand.