Rawhide traders, tannery owners urge govt for cold storage facilities to preserve sacrificial animal hides

Rawhide traders and tannery owners have urged the government for cold storage facilities in Natore, Chattogram, Dhaka, and other local haats to preserve sacrificial animal hides properly.

They said the hide preservation crisis can be resolved very quickly by modernising unused storage facilities in various regions, saving a huge amount of sacrificial animal hides from rotting every year.

Speaking as the chief guest at the FBCCI meeting on hide, skin and leather goods in the capital's Motijheel yesterday (6 July), its Senior Vice President Md Amin Helaly, said, "The government should strengthen the storage system in each district to preserve rawhide. Private sectors can be involved in this initiative if necessary.

"100% compliance with the leather industry must be implemented," he added.

In the open discussion of the meeting, the standing committee members submitted several proposals including easy financing arrangements for entrepreneurs in the leather and leather goods industry, creation of a skilled and trained workforce including designers, ensuring adequate training and use of technology, establishment of a footwear industrial park, establishment of modern slaughterhouses, development of knives and machinery used in the country and training of butchers, establishment of a common display centre for leather and leather goods, establishment of short diploma courses and higher education in leather technology, payment of outstanding dues of hide and skin traders, effective measures to obtain environmental clearance for Savar Leather Industrial City, ensuring representation of all stakeholders of the sector in the National Committee on Leather Industry Management Act, etc.

Former FBCCI director Shahin Ahmed chaired the meeting.

FBCCI director and former president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Md Saiful Islam served as the director in-charge of the committee.