Tanners to complete rawhide purchase by next week

FT ONLINE

Claiming that misleading information is being spread over the prices of sacrificial animal rawhides, tanners said that they will complete the rawhide purchase by next week at the rates fixed by the government.

They also said the tannery owners will not take the responsibility if seasonal traders do not purchase rawhides at the fixed rates.

"Some media ran news claiming that the rawhide prices hit the lowest in 30 years. This is not true...the tannery owners will purchase the salt-dusted rawhides at the fixed prices," said Chairman of Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA) Shaheen Ahmed at a press conference in the city on Saturday.

He said tanners will not take the responsibility for seasonal rawhide traders who purchased those at higher prices...we'll only purchase the salt-dusted and properly-maintained rawhides within a week.

The BTA chairman, however, warned the seasonal traders saying that those who are not mixing salt with the rawhides properly will not get the proper prices.

Noting that the leather industry is passing through a crisis, Shaheen Ahmed said many tanneries at Savar Tannery Estate have yet to go into full production after the relocation of their tannery units from the capital's Hazaribagh areas.

"Though 113 tanneries, out of 155 units, have gone into production, only 40 tanneries have so far been able to go into full production," he added.

Chairman of Finimax tannery Mazakat Harun Manik said they will purchase the rawhides at the fixed rates.

"It's very difficult to ensure the fair prices of rawhides at the local level as many seasonal traders are engaged in the business and purchasing the rawhides defying the fixed rates," he said.

Mazakat Harun, also BTA Senior Vice Chairman, said there is no possibility of smuggling rawhides out of the country this time as in recent years.

"The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) or other law enforcement agency couldn't seize any rawhide in the last few years, which is evident that rawhide is not smuggled out of the country now," he said.

Mentioning that the country's tanneries collect 60 per cent of their annual rawhides during Eid-ul Azha, he said they had projected that the tannery owners could procure rawhides of 80-85 lakh sacrificial animals, including 50 lakh of cows, this year.

BTA General Secretary Shakhawat Ullah said they will start purchasing the rawhides from seasonal traders on Saturday next and complete the procurement within next 40-45 days following the fixed rates.

"Tannery owners have nothing to do here if any seasonal trader purchases rawhide at lower or higher prices. But, we'll follow the fixed rates," he said.

On August 9 last, the government fixed the prices of sacrificial animal rawhides reducing that from the rates of the previous year.

The government has fixed raw cowhide prices at Tk 40-45 per square foot for the capital while at Tk 35-40 for outside Dhaka during this Eid-ul-Azha, down from Tk 50-55 and Tk 40-45 respectively than last year's.

Besides, the prices of goatskins have been fixed at Tk 18-20 per square foot for all over the country while that of she-goat at Tk 13-15.

The tannery owners claim that rawhide prices have declined by US$ 20-25 cent per square foot on the international market.