Unsold rawhides rot on Ctg streets, garbage dumps as prices plummet

In Chattogram, thousands of sacrificial animal rawhides were reportedly discarded on roadsides and garbage dumps following Eid-ul-Adha, as traders and seasonal collectors failed to sell them amid low demand and declining prices.

The Atura Depot area, a key rawhide hub in the city, saw piles of unsold hides dumped in the open. Despite efforts to store rawhides in 225 designated warehouses, many were abandoned after rotting in the heat or being rejected by buyers, according to local collectors and traders.

Seasonal hide collectors from both the Chattogram city and the surrounding upazilas rushed to sell their collections, but many were turned away by big traders. On Sunday morning (8 June), collectors were seen dumping hides on the streets in frustration.

Cleaners of the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) were later forced to clear massive quantities of spoiled rawhides. 

Pranab Kumar Sharma, deputy chief sanitation officer of the CCC, said around 70,000 to 80,000 skins had to be removed from Atura Depot, Chowmuhani, Dewanhat, and Muradpur areas.

Roughly 200,000 rawhides were collected in total across the city. However, after purchasing hides from established sources like the Gaushia Committee and local madrasas, traders showed little interest in buying additional hides from seasonal sellers.

To avoid administrative pressure, some traders reportedly shut down their shops. "We had already met our targets," said Muslim Uddin, former president of the Rawhide Traders Association. "We warned seasonal collectors about low prices, but they still took the risk."

Many collectors reported heavy losses. Mohammad Sabur from Rangunia upazila said he bought hides worth Tk250,000 but managed to sell only Tk20,000 worth. "I couldn't bear the loss, so I dumped the rest," he said.

Traders noted that the government-set prices applied to salted hides, while seasonal collectors mostly brought raw, unsalted skins. Due to the risk of spoilage, many traders refused to buy them at the expected rates.

In the Chowmuhani Karnaphuli Market, trader Alam Sawdagar said he waited all day for dealers who arrived late at night, by which time many hides had begun to spoil. "They offered just Tk100–250 for cowhides that cost us Tk350–600. We had no choice but to sell at a loss," he said.

In many cases, large cowhides bought for Tk500–700 were ultimately thrown away, abandoned on the streets, or buried — highlighting the deepening crisis in the seasonal rawhide market.