Seasonal rawhide traders in Rangpur are facing severe difficulties due to widespread irregularities in the purchase of sacrificial animal hides during Eid-ul-Adha.
Despite the government’s declaration of fixed prices for rawhides, local wholesalers are reportedly refusing to comply.
Instead, allegations have emerged that a group of influential wholesalers is arbitrarily determining prices, forcing seasonal traders to sell at abnormally low rates, often described as “throwaway prices.”
According to complaints by seasonal hide traders, a syndicate of five major wholesalers has monopolized the entire Rangpur hide market, manipulating prices and profiting by the millions.
Neither the District Administration, law enforcement agencies nor the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection appears to have taken any visible steps to control the market, seasonal traders and residents alleged.
As a result, many are being compelled to sell hides for as low as Tk300-Tk500 — nearly half of the government-fixed rate.
During a field visit around 5pm on Eid day, Saturday, at the Shapla Square hide trading area in Rangpur city, hundreds of seasonal traders were seen arriving in trucks, rickshaws and auto-vans with hides collected from various city neighborhoods.
The traders reported that although the government set the price for each hide at Tk1,200 to Tk1,300, wholesalers bluntly said they would not offer more than Tk400 to Tk500 per piece.
Montu Mia, a seasonal trader from Rangpur’s CO Bazar area, brought over a hundred hides to the market.
He said that the price for a medium-sized cowhide should be no less than Tk1,000 to Tk1,200, while large cowhides should fetch Tk1,500 to Tk2,000.
He claimed to have purchased hides at an average price of Tk800 each.
Including transportation and associated costs, his total expense per hide reached around Tk850, yet the wholesalers are unwilling to pay beyond Tk500, pushing him into substantial losses.
Similarly, Anju Mia, another seasonal trader from the Modern Mor (Intersection) area of the city, said that he had procured hides at an average rate of Tk600, but wholesalers are not offering more than Tk500.
Rustom Ali from the bus terminal area and Momtaz from Palichara shared the same concern.
They said they bought hides at Tk700 to Tk800 each, but the wholesalers fail to provide transparent pricing and disregard the government-mandated rates.
Although they were supposed to purchase based on square footage, they are instead offering fixed prices—Tk300 to Tk400 for medium hides and Tk500 to Tk550 for larger ones, blatantly ignoring the official price structure.
Accusations have been raised against Rangpur’s hide wholesalers for forming a syndicate that determines prices at their discretion, effectively holding traders and citizens hostage.
Though authorities had promised strict monitoring to ensure fair pricing, no such enforcement was observed, according to multiple seasonal traders.
Salam, director of the Rangpur Chamber of Commerce, criticized the actions of the syndicate and acknowledged that a handful of traders were manipulating the market with monopoly pricing.
He demanded urgent government intervention to curb this practice.
Meanwhile, Dr Nazrul Islam, a senior official from the Rangpur Divisional Department of Livestock, informed that over 2,00,000 cows and nearly 1,00,000 goats were sacrificed this Eid in Rangpur and surrounding areas.
He assured that allegations regarding non-compliance with government pricing for hides would be thoroughly investigated and necessary action would be taken.
However, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection appeared entirely inactive in monitoring the Eid day rawhide trading activities.
Responding to the allegations, Makbul Hossain, a wholesaler, claimed that it costs Tk400 to Tk500 per hide for preservation, including salt and storage.
As a result, he argued that purchasing hides at government-fixed prices was not feasible for wholesalers under current market conditions.