A significant discrepancy has emerged in the rawhide collection figures following Eid-ul-Azha, as reported by the Chittagong District Livestock Department and the Chittagong Rawhides Traders Association.
According to the Livestock Department, 818,468 animals were sacrificed, including 533,088 cows, buffaloes, and 285,243 goats and sheep.
However, the traders association claims to have collected only 360,950 rawhides, leaving 172,138 unaccounted for.
Vice President of the Chittagong Rawhides Traders Association, Md Abdul Kader Sardar, said: “We collected all the rawhides from Chittagong city and district. The figures given by the livestock officers are based on estimates and do not match reality. We have 360,950 rawhides, but the livestock officers report that 533,088 animals were sacrificed. Where are the rest of the hides? They must answer that.”
He further alleged discrepancies in livestock reports, suggesting inflated figures benefiting farm owners in securing bank loans and laundering money.
“A farm has 50 cows, but the livestock officers report 200. This discrepancy benefits farm owners from obtaining bank loans and laundering money,” he added.
President of the association, Muslim Uddin, added: “Some 108 wholesalers in the city and district processed and collected 360,950 cow and buffalo hides. There are no more rawhides in stock in Chittagong, and we do not have figures for goat and sheep rawhides as we do not buy those.”
A wholesaler said: “The livestock officers have given rough estimates. The number of sacrificed animals they claimed does not match the reality, which is why their figures for the rawhides did not match.”
He also mentioned that traders have started selling the hides, with 15,000 rawhides already sold to a tannery in Dhaka. Reef Leather Tannery in Chittagong plans to purchase around 100,000 rawhides, and other tanneries in Dhaka have begun negotiations.
Chittagong District Livestock Officer Nazrul Islam responded: “This report is based on information provided by upazila livestock officers. There should be no discrepancy in our data. Traders should know where the rest of the rawhides had gone.”
Meanwhile, Chittagong’s Additional Superintendent of Police, Abu Tayeb Md Arif Hossen, assured that all rawhides from sacrificed animals remained within the district, with strict police surveillance preventing smuggling.