A huge volume of rawhides from sacrificial animals has entered the BSCIC Leather Industrial City in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, since the first day of Eid-ul-Azha.
Industry insiders said the inflow of hides is expected to continue on Saturday as well.
As of 11am on Friday, a total of 491,949 rawhides had arrived at the industrial estate. Earlier, between 12pm and 1am on Thursday night, 222,233 hides were received.
A visit to the industrial area showed trucks loaded with hides entering tannery compounds throughout the day. From the main gate of the industrial city to the interiors of the tanneries, no major disorder was observed. Workers remained busy unloading, preserving, and salting the hides.
Executive Engineer of the BSCIC office at the leather industrial city, Md Mehrajul Maiyan, said that from Thursday noon to Friday 11am, a total of 491,949 rawhides arrived at the estate in 1,529 trucks. Of these, 475,859 were cow and buffalo hides, while 16,090 were goat and sheep skins.
He said work was underway to quickly preserve and process the incoming hides. To manage the additional pressure during Eid, the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation, along with the Ministries of Industries and Commerce, the district administration, local authorities, and law enforcement agencies, has been working in coordination. Extra preparations have also been taken for transportation and management of the hides.
Officials stationed at the industrial city’s main gate said the first truck carrying sacrificial animal hides entered the estate at around 12:30pm on Thursday. The pressure of incoming trucks increased steadily as the day progressed.
A large portion of the hides arriving in the first phase were bloodstained rawhides. After reaching the tanneries, workers immediately began salting them for preservation.
Owner of Azmir Leather, Md Shahidullah, said the company plans to purchase around 20,000 pieces of hides this season. Several thousand hides have already been collected, mainly from long-term suppliers.
General Secretary of the Bangladesh Tanners Association and owner of Samata Leather, Md Mizanur Rahman, said the target this year is to collect nearly 10 million sacrificial animal hides. He added that large-scale hide trading usually takes place at night, which is why the inflow and preservation activities continue throughout the night at the industrial city.