Country’s meat traders and animal waste exporters are hopeful of earning Tk 250 crore by exporting animal waste this year. The amount can be even bigger if it is recognized as an industry. According to statistics made available by the Export Promotion Bureau, the flourishing sector fetched Tk 220 crore and Tk 170 crore in 2016 and 2017 respectively. During 2018, the sector has earned Tk 220 crore. Traders are now hopeful of earning Tk 250 crore in the current year.
Robiul Alam, Director General of Bangladesh Meat Traders Association told Bangladesh Post, “We have faced serious problems while doing this informal business. On one hand, we are still in the informal stage of the business while on the other, the government and general people lack knowledge on the prospects of animal waste.”
“If people realized the potentials of doing business with ‘animal waste’ I am sure it would have taken more it seriously. Sadly, there is no formal recognition of animal waste and so it is yet to take shape of an industry,” Alam said. “It is possible to earn over Tk 1000 crore annually from the sector with adequate supports from the government. Lack of public knowledge about this sector, is another reason why it is falling behind, he informed.
Wastes like bones, horns, bile (genitalia), testicles, bowels, musculatures, stomach and fat are exported to China, Myanmar, Thailand and 12 other countries. According to the traders, the animal wastes are used to make many useful products, including capsule cover of medicines, poultry feed, soil fertilizer.
Bones are sold at Tk 3 per kilogram, while bile is sold at the rate of Tk 25-30 (based on size), stomach Tk 120, horn Tk 100 per piece. A good number of people now collect animal waste and bring them to Hazaribagh, a place in old Dhaka where its trade is largely popular. Later traders sell them at higher prices after cleaning and processing the items.
Rawhide waste are used for making shoe sole, leather processing waste in making sand paper, animal blood mixed with other ingredients are used to make animal feed, fat used to make soap, horn used for making button. Moreover, Japanese popular food ‘Syosset’ are made from cattle and buffalo intestines.
Based on traders information it was learnt that they collect the animal waste round the year. But during Eid-ul-Adha, the Muslim festival in which millions of animals are slaughtered, the collection is obviously manifold. Based on sacrificial animal’s size and type, 15 to 25 kilograms waste can be collected from each cattle. The waste buying business is conducted mainly in Chattogram and the capital’s Hazaribagh.
Notable, most people in pre-dominantly Muslim countries do not know the potentials use of the wastes of the animals they slaughter throughout the year, especially during Eid-ul-Azha, for meat. The people normally throw away the wastes as rubbish. Robiul, a waste trader, said that as there is no specific infrastructure in the shape of industry, the sector is struggling. Government’s initiative and necessary policies support can greatly help develop the industry
He also informed animal bones are used as raw materials at ceramic industries. “We export animal bones to Germany and Italy due to its high demand there. But we frequently face difficulties both in collecting and preserving animal wastes. Considering the importance, the government can declare this sector as an industry.”
