Rawhide smugglers active in bordering areas

At least 54 smugglers are now active in country’s southern western part to collect rawhide aiming at smuggling the skin into neighbouring country India using 89 entry points of border areas, said a special report of Home Ministry. Among the smugglers, 22 hail from Satkhira, 15 from Jessore, 10 from Kushtia and seven from Jhenaidah. Home ministry has directed law enforcers to keep strict vigilance on smugglers to check the possible smuggling of rawhides of sacrificial animals. But smugglers of the area are used to smuggle rawhide with local law enforcers and others, said the report. Additional Director General of Police, Khulna range Ekramul Habib said: “The rawhide of animals are mainly smuggled from Bangladesh through various borders points of Jessore (Benapole), Satkhira, Kushtia, Chuadanga and Jhenaidah. To prevent smuggle of rawhide, law enforcement agencies, including  BGB and police, will install check posts at the areas.” “Detectives will stay in the area to check illegal trading of rawhide,” he said. President of Khunla Rawhide Traders Society Md Aman Ullah said: “Smugglers of the area used to buy rawhide from locals with extra price set by government and smuggled them to India.” He alleged that, almost 80% of rawhide smuggled into India, as local administration do not help them to stop the smuggling. A large amount of money is needed for the businessmen to procure rawhide and skin during the Eid-ul-Azha every year, as more than 50% of the annual demand of raw leather has been procured during this only festival. But local small rawhide buyers of Khulna has not able to survive against smugglers and seasonal rawhide traders. Md Abu Zahar, owner of Yashin Leathe of Sheikhpara of Khulna said: “During the Eid-ul-Azha seasonal traders and smugglers buy rawhide from locals with extra price while we have been continuing our business by taking small loan with good interest from banks for many years.” Md Shohidul Islam, owner of Mamun leather complex, said: “This year, price of salt is higher than previous so it will cost more to process rawhide. Beside of this, we do not get loan from banks. Moreover, tanners owners do not pay out dues regularly. In this case, we will be compelled to leave the business after Eid.” Earlier, leather goods traders and tanners have jointly declared the price of cow hide at Tk50 per square feet in Dhaka and Tk40 in the rest of the country this year. According to an estimate, nearly 7.5 millions cattle would be sacrificed across the country during Eid-ul-Azha. Eid-ul-Azha, the second most important religious festival in the Muslim calendar, will be observed across the country on September 13.