Govt to Export Rawhide to China, Prices Set to Rise Thursday

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The government is set to export unprocessed rawhide from animals sacrificed during this year’s Eid-ul-Adha to China in a bid to ensure fair market prices, Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin announced on Wednesday.

Following a meeting of a government committee formed to manage Eid-ul-Adha-related affairs, the adviser said the Ministry of Commerce has decided to formally request the Chinese ambassador in Dhaka to facilitate the import of rawhide from Bangladesh.

“The price of rawhide will be fixed today, and it will be higher than last year—justifiably so,” said Sheikh Bashir Uddin at a post-meeting press briefing. “We are determined to establish a fair price and maintain it by intervening in the market if necessary. If required, we will directly export the rawhide to ensure just returns.”

To support proper preservation and avoid distress sales, the government will provide more than 30,000 tonnes of salt free of cost to madrasahs and orphanages for storing the hides. Additionally, a documentary demonstrating long-term preservation techniques using salt will be produced and widely disseminated.

Commerce ministry officials said a circular has already been issued instructing deputy commissioners across the country to store rawhide at district and upazila levels for 15 days after Eid.

The Ministry of Industries will also contribute by supplying 70,000 tonnes of salt for free to institutions collecting rawhide during Eid. A formal request for this allocation has been sent to the finance ministry.

Last year, rawhide prices for cows and buffaloes were fixed at Tk 55–60 per square foot in Dhaka and Tk 50–55 outside Dhaka. Goat hide prices were Tk 20–25 and Tk 18–20 respectively across the country.

Bangladesh's leather sector has seen fluctuating fortunes. In FY1972–73, the country earned $16.18 million from rawhide and leather exports. This rose to $1.22 billion in FY2022–23 but dropped to $1.04 billion in the last fiscal year—a decline of 11.6%. However, export earnings rebounded during July–April of the current fiscal year, reaching $932.53 million, a 10.08% increase from the same period last year.

Among those attending Wednesday’s meeting were Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman and Hefazat-e-Islam Joint Secretary General Mamunul Haque, along with other religious institution representatives.