Savar Tannery Estate receives 5.30 lakh rawhides in two days of Eid

Around 5.30 lakh pieces of sacrificial animal rawhides have arrived at the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate, with industry leaders expressing optimism that this year's Eid-ul-Azha collection target will be achieved.

Md Shakawat Ullah, senior vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Tanners Association, today said around 5.30 lakh pieces of rawhide had arrived at the estate between May 28 and May 29, including approximately 5.14 lakh cow hides and 16,000 goat skins.

He said that rawhides usually arrive at the estate on Eid day and the following day. Processing and other related activities generally begin two to three days later.

He further said the collected hides had been properly preserved and processing would begin later.

Regarding Eid-ul-Azha collections, he expressed optimism that the industry's target would be achieved, adding that the sector aims to collect around 80 lakh hides, including those from cows, goats, and buffaloes.

Tannery owners have set a target of collecting 75 lakh to 80 lakh sacrificial animal hides this year. Of the total, they aim to directly purchase around 80 percent of the hides in Dhaka.

Last year, they directly bought around 750,000 to 800,000 hides in the capital.

Meanwhile, rawhide prices in Dhaka rose slightly on the second day of Eid-ul-Azha, still well below government-set prices, while traders outside the capital were forced to dump unsold hides due to low prices.

Large and medium-sized cowhides’ prices in Dhaka increased by at least Tk 100 from Eid day, although prices of goatskins and smaller cowhides remained unchanged.

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Traders attributed the rise to reduced supply as well as larger and better-quality hides.

Visits to Dhanmondi, Science Laboratory, Lalbagh on May 29 showed medium-sized cowhides selling for Tk 550 to Tk 750 each, while large hides fetched Tk 800 to Tk 1,200.

On Eid day, medium-sized hides were sold for Tk 500 to Tk 650 each, and large hides for Tk 700 to Tk 800.

At the Dhakeshwari Temple area, buyers purchased cowhides for Tk 700 to Tk 1,000 depending on size.

In Posta, traders said reduced supply pushed prices slightly higher, with hides selling for Tk 900 to Tk 1,200 depending on quality and size.

Meanwhile, Industries Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, after inspecting the trading of sacrificial animal rawhides in Lalbagh on Friday, said the government aims to maximise the utilisation of the hides and transform the country's leather industry into a stronger, export-oriented sector.

He said a comprehensive long-term roadmap for the leather sector's development, preservation, processing, and export expansion would be unveiled by July.

Muktadir added that despite the relocation of tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar, many have yet to become fully operational.

He also pointed to several limitations in the central effluent treatment plant, saying that resolving these issues and attracting greater investment would pave the way for further industrialisation and sustainable growth of the country's leather sector.