Bussiness desk

The government’s recent decision to ban rawhide-laden vehicles from entering Dhaka for ten days following Eid-ul-Azha has cast a shadow of anxiety over Natore, home to the country’s second-largest rawhide market.

A field visit to the Chak Boidyanath rawhide hub on Friday revealed warehouses overflowing with salted rawhides, with excess stock piling up along adjacent roads due to lack of space. Traders and wholesalers said the ban has stalled business operations, raising fears that goat and sheep hides will degrade in quality despite salting, especially in the summer heat.

One trader Rakib Uddin Kamal said, “The sudden decision lacks practicality. If hides can’t be sent to Dhaka within two to three days of salting, the quality deteriorates. This leads to losses for both traders and tannery owners.”

He also noted that banks being closed during this period has made financial transactions impossible, compounding the crisis.

Veteran trader Nurul Islam echoed the concerns, calling the restriction “unjustified,” and urged authorities to avoid such decisions in the future.

According to Abdul Halim, general secretary of the Natore Leather Traders’ Association, over 300 warehouses and godowns in the market are already full.

“The hides must be transported to tanneries urgently. Without lifting the entry restriction, we are heading towards heavy financial losses,” he warned.

According to Halim, Natore supplies about 40 percent of the country’s total rawhide to tanneries.

He further demanded that future decisions regarding rawhide transport and market operations be taken in consultation with both tannery owners and regional leather traders.