Small businessmen claim losses, traders deny any decrease in rawhide price
Small and seasonal businessmen claimed they are facing losses due to fewer raw hides and lower prices than last year.
However, traders who stored the skins after collecting those from small businessmen said the price has not come down that much.
Seasonal and small businessmen collected small and big size rawhides for Tk130 to Tk300 from alleys and localities, according to the daily Prothom Alo.
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Then they brought the hides for sale in the Chaumuhani market of the capital.
In the same place, many people also brought the skins of their sacrificial animals in rickshaws or vans to sell those.
Seasonal and small businessmen, however, have complained that they are not getting the desired price of leather.
Badal Saudagar of Chaumuhani collects leather every year. He collected the leather this time too and sold it to the Muradpur leather trader in the city. Md Yunus collected rawhides on his behalf.
Yunus said that last time the price of leather was Tk300 to Tk350, but this time the traders wanted to pay Tk150 to Tk250.
"Now we have to face losses," said Yunus.
Ferdous, a seasonal businessman, said, "I have brought about 30 rawhides. Now buyers want to pay less than the purchase price. How can I sell at losses? The price of leather is lower than last time."
Salahuddin Dulal bought at least 30 rawhides from one person for an average of Tk280.
Salahuddin said the price of leather is a bit lower than before. Hide from large animals is being sold for more than Tk350.
The government set the price of salted cattle rawhide at Tk40-45 per square foot in Dhaka and Tk33-37 for outside the capital.
Besides, the price of goat hide has been set at Tk15-17 per square foot while it is Tk12-14 per square foot of female goat hide across the country.
Rawhide trader Didar Hossain Sentu, owner of Dider Enterprise, said he was giving Tk600 to Tk650 for each piece of cattle hide in compliance with the government set price.
However, he was offering Tk5 to Tk30 for goat skin as the processing and labour costs were comparatively higher for goats.
Due to lack of proper supervision and manipulation of syndicate traders, the rawhide market in Chattogram has fallen sharply. In the end, bull skin was sold for only Tk100 per piece, but goat hides were absolutely priceless.
Hundreds of unsold skins of sacrificial animals were left along the road from noon to evening on Wednesday. Although, in the beginning, cattle skin was sold for Tk300 to Tk350 and goat's hide at Tk50 to Tk60. But over time, the price has plummeted. In the end, the sellers were forced to sell cattle skin at Tk120 to Tk100 and goat skins for free without getting a buyer.
Abdul Quader, vice-president of Greater Chittagong Skin Merchant's Cooperative Society, said the price of rawhide in Chattogram is a little better this time than last time.
"We are buying large skins at Tk300 to Tk400, medium ones at Tk250 to Tk200 and small ones at Tk100. In fact, we also have a lot of costs. It costs us Tk15 per square foot of rawhide. So we also have to count the losses," claimed Quader.
"Besides, we are dependent on Dhaka. We can buy at a higher price only if the buyers from Dhaka buy from us and offer well price," he added.
