Savar Corespondent

Rawhides from sacrificial animals continued arriving at the BSCIC Tannery  Industrial Estate in Savar on the second day of Eid-ul-Azha, as traders brought in truckloads from Dhaka and surrounding areas.

Tannery workers were seen busy unloading and processing the rawhides on Saturday morning. 

According to sources, the flow of rawhides began late Saturday afternoon on Eid day and has picked up since early Sunday.

Traders said they will continue collecting rawhides for another day mostly untreated with salt. 

A target has been set to collect over one crore rawhides during the Eid period in the estate which houses around 150 factories.

Tanneries and storehouses have been stocked with adequate salt and necessary chemicals to preserve the skins, said tanners.

They are preserving the rawhides with salt immediately upon arrival, said a tannery owner. 

“The government has fixed the price of salted hides at Tk 1,400 each. Salting costs around Tk 300–350 which we deduct before purchasing the rawhide,” he said.

Workers at the industrial estate were seen working tirelessly to handle the volume. Vendors bringing rawhides from city areas expressed satisfaction with the price and said they faced no hassle on the roads.

“We got a fair price and faced no trouble on the road while bringing the hides,” said Md Anwar, a seller.

Department of Livestock Services (DLS) and BSCIC officials said they are maintaining strict monitoring to ensure proper preservation of the hides nationwide under the guidance of the relevant ministry.

According to DLS estimates, around 1.05 crore animals were sacrificed this year across the country, requiring nearly 1 lakh metric tonnes of salt for proper preservation. 

Officials assured there is no salt shortage, as domestic production reached a record 24.37 lakh metric tonnes this season.

Law enforcement and local administration are working to ensure that vehicles carrying hides can enter the leather estate without disruption, they said.