Dhaka: The raw hide owners are eagerly waiting on the roads with a heap of raw hide for the wholesale purchasers but the middle men or the purchasers are not seen. Even the seasonal traders of hide are also not seen. This picture is not of the capital city only but of the whole country.
It is reliably learnt and also seen in the capital that the cow hide is offered at Taka 200.00 while the goat hide free provided the cow hide is taken!
The mosques, madrashas, orphanages and several service oriented organizations have been facing tough and hapless time for such market situation. Generally the owners of the hides donate these to the organizations for the maintenance of the service organizations. The owners of the sacrificial animals cannot use the sale proceeds for their personal purposes according to religious tenets.
Going around on Monday (August 12) night in Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar and Malibag areas it was seen that there are heaps of cow and goat skins. The heaps are being guarded by the representatives of these organizations.
Even they are contacting the hide traders who in reply refusing saying that the tannery owners are not purchasing because it has no demand both in domestic and International markets. So we cannot face loss by purchasing it.
A teacher Aowlad Hossain of Hosania Madrasha situated in Wireless gate area told barta24.com that, ’this time the poor has been slapped badly, The hides of Qurbani are the property of the poor but few syndicates have organized for not purchasing hides to make a windfall gain in the opportune moment. The hide traders are not purchasing hides at their directives. But unfortunately no agency of the government is overseeing the terrible situation’, he added.
Shah Kheria mosque and orphanage managing committee member Tarequzzaman told barta24.com that during his last 30 years career he did not see such throwaway price of raw hide.
He said that even in last year at least 20 hide traders had phoned him but this year none.
Same situation has been prevailing in the capital even across the country. A mid sized raw hide of cow generally worth Taka 400 to Taka 500 is being sold at Taka 200 while the big traders of Posta and tannery owners are purchasing the hide at a just throw away price.
Though the government has fixed the rate of the different sized hides but the hide traders are not caring it. Even the four government banks provided the hide traders with a loan of Taka 600 crore but of no use. The poor hide owners who got it as donations for the well being of their service oriented organizations are not being benefited.
Some observers are apprehending smuggling of these hides. The tannery owners are alleging that there is no demand of hides in the International markets so the export potential is bleak. Only chance is to smuggle out in the neighboring country where it has got demand because of their lacking of domestic production of hides. However the government assured that strict measures are already taken to stop any kind of smuggling.