Low rawhide prices this Eid

The price of rawhide has fallen sharply, a growing concern for small traders for whom Eid-ul-Azha is a major point of the year. Rawhides were traded at very low prices in Dhaka's Hazaribagh, one of the country's major tannery hubs, though prices were to remain unchanged this year, as per a government decision.

Small traders allege, in media reports, that they individually bought hides from across the city and aren't even getting the price they paid to buy the hides. Prices from last year have fallen at least twofold for both goat and cowhide—which is not just unfortunate but unexpected.

The shifting of tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar has made local and foreign buyers reluctant to purchase rawhide. The majority of the tanneries have not yet been able to start operations because of a lack of gas connection and incomplete factory structures. The government and tannery owners are blaming each other for these issues.

Leather is one of the highest export earning sectors after apparel—we must uncover the reasons behind this price fall and save this business.