Goat hides see little demand amid weak Eid-ul-Azha market
56 MIN(s) ago
Sukanta Halder
Despite a government-set increase in rawhide prices this Eid-ul-Azha, sellers in Dhaka said today that they were once again forced to sell hides at rates far below the official benchmark.Seasonal rawhide traders at Dhaka's Shewrapara, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Kalabagan and Science Lab areas claimed that although the government increased prices, they received no assurance from tannery owners that hides would be purchased at those rates.They said tannery owners had quoted lower prices compared to last year, prompting seasonal traders to buy hides at reduced rates as well.However, tannery owners claimed prices had not fallen compared to last year and had instead increased by Tk 50 to Tk 60 per piece.Many sellers alleged they received Tk 150 to Tk 200 less per hide than last year. Traders also showed little interest in purchasing goat hides, as seen in previous years.On the ground, most raw cowhides were selling for Tk 500 to Tk 650 this year, compared with Tk 700 to Tk 800 for similar hides last year.The government this year fixed the prices of rawhide generated during Eid-ul-Azha, increasing the price of salted cowhide in Dhaka by Tk 2 per square foot from last year.The price of salted cowhide in Dhaka has been set at Tk 62 to Tk 67 per square foot, up from Tk 60 to Tk 65 last year.The price of salted goat skin has been fixed at Tk 25 to Tk 30 per square foot, while she-goat skin has been set at Tk 22 to Tk 25 per square foot.Accordingly, a small salted hide may fetch between Tk 990 and Tk 1,200. A medium-sized salted cowhide is expected to fetch Tk 1,300 to Tk 1,850, while a large salted cowhide may range from Tk 1,900 to Tk 2,600.Usually, the hide of a large cow measures 31 to 40 square feet, a medium-sized cowhide measures 21 to 30 square feet, and a small cowhide measures 16 to 20 square feet.
