A tense race to save Bangladesh’s sacrificial animal hides is unfolding in Chattogram this Eid-ul-Azha, as traders scramble to prevent a repeat of the devastating losses that crippled the country’s leather sector in recent years.
From seasonal collectors to individual donors, thousands of rawhides are pouring into Chattogram’s traditional hide market at Aturar Depot, where warehouse owners and traders say they are operating under “maximum alert” to ensure not a single usable hide goes to waste.
The urgency reflects the painful memories of previous Eid seasons when massive quantities of rawhide rotted on roadsides, were dumped into waste bins, or sold at throwaway prices amid market collapse, weak preservation systems, and disputes over government-fixed rates.
On Friday morning, senior government officials visited the Aturar Depot area to monitor preservation and collection activities, underscoring the growing concern over protecting one of Bangladesh’s most important export-oriented industries.
“We are accepting almost every hide brought to the market,” said Mohammad Yunus, General Secretary of the Chattogram Hide Traders Association. “But hides damaged during skinning – with excessive cuts or improper removal – cannot be preserved or processed.”
According to the association, cowhides are currently being purchased between Tk250 and Tk500 each, although some traders are paying even higher prices depending on quality. Collection began Thursday afternoon and intensified throughout Friday as truckloads of hides arrived from different parts of Chattogram and nearby districts.
Traders estimate that more than 200,000 hides have already been collected in Chattogram, with the number expected to approach 400,000 during the Eid period.
“This year comparatively fewer hides are being wasted,” Yunus said. “Still, around 15 to 20 percent may become unusable because they were not properly skinned. Those hides have virtually no commercial value.”
To prevent another crisis, the government has increased field-level monitoring. Mamunur Rashid, Secretary of the Bangladesh Tea Board and head of the local government monitoring committee for hide management, inspected the depots on Friday morning.
“At this stage, the most important issue is proper preservation,” he said. “The government is also monitoring the market closely so processed leather can be sold quickly and traders do not suffer unnecessary losses.”
Despite the official assurances, traders remain deeply cautious.
Moslem Uddin, President of the Chattogram Hide Traders Association, told Times of Bangladesh that traders collected hides based on government assurances and officially declared prices, but warned that the real challenge lies ahead.
“The government must now ensure that processed leather can be sold at fair market prices,” he said. “Otherwise, traders will once again face severe losses.”
Another major concern has emerged over the sudden spike in salt prices — the key material used to preserve rawhide.
Traders said raw salt that was selling at Tk1,000 to Tk1,100 per maund only days ago is now being sold between Tk1,200 and Tk1,400, sharply increasing preservation costs during the peak collection period.
Meanwhile, many damaged hides brought by seasonal traders from remote areas are being rejected outright. Several unusable hides were seen dumped into Chattogram City Corporation waste bins before sanitation workers later removed them.
Bangladesh’s leather and leather goods industry remains one of the country’s most strategically important export sectors. Industry-related estimates suggest the sector contributes around 0.6 percent to the national GDP and nearly 2 percent of industrial sector earnings.
According to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data, Bangladesh earns nearly $1 billion to $1.1 billion annually from exports of leather, leather goods, and footwear.
Industry insiders say Eid-ul-Azha rawhide collection forms the backbone of this entire supply chain. Every hide preserved during the Eid season directly feeds the country’s tanning, footwear, and leather goods industries.
But after years of chaos marked by tannery crises, price manipulation allegations, weak storage systems, and widespread market failures, confidence in the sector remains fragile.
This year, the government has fixed the price of salted raw cowhide at Tk62 to 67 per square foot in Dhaka and Tk57 to 62 per square foot outside Dhaka. In addition, the price of goat hide has been set at Tk25 to 30 per square foot, while the price of she-goat (goat) hide has been fixed at Tk22 to 25 per square foot.
Against that backdrop, Chattogram’s hide depots have now become the frontline of a high-stakes economic battle — one aimed at ensuring that Bangladesh does not once again watch a valuable national resource rot away in the streets.
