Savar tanneries expect 5 lakh rawhide arrival in 2 days
40,000 pieces of rawhide enters Savar tanneries in 5hrs today
Five lakh pieces of rawhide is expected to arrive in the tanneries of the Bscic Tannery Industrial Estate in Savar in two days, Sakhawat Ullah, general secretary of Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA), said today (17 June).
"The flow will increase starting this evening. We will be able to determine tomorrow how many rawhides were collected today," Sakhawat Ullah told The Business Standard.
On the first day of Eid-ul-Adha, rawhides of sacrificial animals from different areas of Dhaka started entering the tanneries in Savar from 12pm.
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A total of 40,000 pieces of rawhide entered in the tanneries as of 5:30pm, Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industry Corporation (Bscic) Chairman Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik told reporters.
Visiting the estate in the afternoon, workers were seen passing a very busy time as rawhides were pouring into the tanneries.
Rupa Ram, a worker at a factory, told TBS that as soon as the rawhides arrive, they immediately start salting to preserve them.
According to officials, most of the rawhides that entered Savar industrial city till afternoon came from various madrasahs and orphanages.
A man named Russel Shaikh, who came with 300 pieces of rawhide in a pickup, said, "Earlier, I brought another pickup full of rawhides. In total, I will bring 900 pieces today."
Regarding the price of rawhide, he said, "The price has not been discussed yet."
Claiming that there is no dispute regarding the price of rawhide nor any crisis of salt and chemicals, BTA General Secretary Sakhawat Ullah said, "The tanneries have enough chemicals, there is also enough supply of salt. So overall situation is good for now. Tanneries are buying hides at fixed prices."
'No shortage of salt'
Talking to reporters in the afternoon, Bscic Chairman Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik said in order to ensure the quality of leather, the Bscic as well as the ministries and directorates concerned are supervising so that rawhides are properly stored across the country.
He said enough salt has been supplied for preserving rawhides.
"According to the data of the Department of Livestock Services, a total of 1.07 crore animals may be sacrificed this year, which require 1 lakh tonnes of salt to preserve their skins.
"A record amount of 24.37 lakh tonnes of salt has been produced in the country this year. On the other hand, we have supplied 1.47 lakh tonnes of salt for rawhide preservation, which means 47,000 tonnes of excess salt has been supplied. So there should be no worries regarding salt," the Bscic chairman said.
"If more salt is still required, our salt cell will supply it immediately," he added.
Noting that the price of salt is Tk2 less per kilogram than last year, he said, "There are no complaints about salt anywhere. Additionally, based on previous experience, we have provided free salt to several orphanages this time."
The Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) of the industrial city has also been prepared for Eid-ul-Adha this year.
"This year, we have made several upgrades to the CETP. Previously, there were six blowers; now, 17 blowers are operational. The CETP has undergone a week-long overhaul," said Sanjay Kumar.
Besides, the district administration and law enforcement forces are working to ensure that vehicles can enter the industrial city smoothly and rawhides from outside Dhaka cannot enter Dhaka in any way for the first seven days, he added.
