Despite low price of rawhide in Khulna and its adjacent districts, traders are eyeing to recover the losses which they reportedly incurred last season.
The traders said though a downward trend of leather product's demand in the international market put the tannery industry in a tatter, which was caused, among others, by some domestic reasons.
President of Khulna Rawhide Traders Association Abdus Salam Dhali said currently the price of rawhide is too cheap. So, they want to take it as a chance to recoup the losses, he added.
"International leather market depends on the demand of the United States (US). But the demand sees a downward trend as it's less cold in the countries where long spell of cold wave increases the demand of leather-based products," he said.
He also expressed fear that rawhide would be smuggled out of the country due to its lower price and requesting the law enforcement agencies to take necessary security measures in this regards.
Hoarders of rawhide claimed that due to the hike in salt price this year they had to spend Taka 30 to Taka 35 more to buy per square feet of rawhide than the price fixed by the tanners.
"Seasonal buyers of rawhide created a syndicate and bought cattle hides at very low price from those who sacrificed animals but they supplied it to us in double price," he added.
"They got per rawhide at Taka 150 to Taka 450 on an average and we bought per cattle hide at Taka 400 to Taka 500 from them." Dhali said.
Expressing the frustration over the price of salt as it soared from Taka 760 to Taka 1,064 per sack, he said coronavirus pandemic and Russia-Ukrain war also added more frustration to the rawhide traders as well as the tanners.
It caused extra expenditure on per cattle hide to preserve, he said, adding that we may run up losses if the tanners association remains determined on the fixed price.
This year, a total of 9, 26,209 sacrificial animals have been slaughtered in the division, Khulna divisional livestock sources said.
