Rawhides sold at govt-set prices: commerce adviser

Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin has said that the rawhides of animals sacrificed on Eid-ul-Azha are being sold at the prices set by the government.

He made the comment yesterday evening while speaking to journalists after inspecting rawhide trade at Posta in Lalbagh, Dhaka, the ministry said in a press release.

The government fixed the price of cow hides at Tk 60 to Tk 65 per square foot in Dhaka and Tk 55 to Tk 60 per square foot outside the capital. The price of goat hides was set at Tk 22 to Tk 27 per square foot, while that of she-goat hides was fixed at Tk 20 to Tk 22 per square foot across the country.

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The adviser said that a special team from the ministry is actively working to ensure that the hides are sold at the government-fixed rates.

"We had set the rawhide price including the cost of salt. The hides being sold for Tk 700–800 apiece are without salt. Compared to past years, this price is higher," he explained.

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He added that some seasonal traders, who lack experience in preserving hides, are allowing the animal skins to partially rot after purchase.

"If partially rotten hides are selling for Tk 700–800, then that's actually quite high," he said.

Bashir Uddin said that good-quality salted hides are being sold for Tk 1,200–1,300.

He said they are encouraging preservation and salting locally to make the hides more suitable for storage, which in turn creates a balance in market management and between demand and supply.

The adviser also said that, in most cases, salted hides are being sold at the appropriate prices -- those fixed by the government.

However, he alleged that certain social media users and even parts of the mainstream media are spreading some misinformation.

"It's not fair to blame the government for everything," he said.

To boost demand and ensure fair prices, the government has temporarily lifted export restrictions on raw and wet blue leather for three months, he mentioned.

Bashir Uddin added that Tk 220 crore in incentives has been disbursed and salt has been supplied to every district, upazila, and even to mosques across the country.

The adviser said that the price of rawhides increased on Sunday compared to the previous day and expressed hope that the price of salted hides will rise further in the coming days.

He urged traders to preserve raw hides and not sell them until they get a suitable price.