According to local sources, the price of salt has increased three times causing the tension among the traders. Now a sack salt of 50 kg is sold at Tk1,020 which was sold at Tk320 last year.
The traders said a huge amount of raw hides might be smuggled to India for increasing the price of salt.
They said there were more than 50 wholesalers and 200 traders in the district. Though they operate the business through the year, Eid-ul-Azha is peak-time for the traders.
The traders collect more than 65,000 hides every year. They process the hides with salt and pile up in godown.
Later, the processed hides are sent to tannery owners and cottage traders in several areas including Dhaka and Chittagong.
This year the traders could not buy salt as the price has increased dramatically.
Most of the godowns lay idol as the traders have no plan to purchase the hide.
Along with increasing the price of salt, the traders have to face the problem of due payment from the tannery owners' side.
Trader Milon said only 20 percent payment had been paid of last year.
“We cannot continue the business due to price hike of salt and due payment,” he said.
Mamataz Hossain, president of Naogaon Rawhide Group said the tannery owners and cottage traders had not paid the bill. The traders got TK 50 crore from them.
He alleged that the govt should impose policy throughout the year to purchase the hides.
“Due to lack of policy, we have to face problem,” he said.
Colonel Zahid Hasan, BGB 43 battalion commander, said: “Price of rawhide is more in India than Bangladesh. So, it may be the reason of smuggling.”
“We have also taken steps so the rawhide cannot be smuggled,” he added.
