Home ›› 28 Jul 2021 ›› Front
For years, animal fat market in the country remains untapped, a realisation of which is certain to benefit industries requiring such fat as a manufacturing ingredient, plus create a bevy of employments.
No such statistics is available for the sector being entirely informal in nature.
According to business insiders, over 1,000 tonnes of animal fat are generated in the country per year, half of them alone during Eid ul-Azha.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, around 90,93,242 cattle were sacrificed during this Eid that are a big source of animal fat.
From fat collectors to factory owners who use the substance for a series of products like soap, candle, fish feed, etc, everyone involved in the process deserves admiration as they lend their hand not only to the human needs but also to help a large segment of low-income group -- some 2-3 lakh people -- earn a living.
However, a thriving business potential is virtually left in the lurch that requires policy support and initiatives.
Though it is not wholesome to consume animal fat, this apparently left-out byproduct becomes the building block for soap and other manufacturing industry.
Of the industries recognised for using animal fat more in an extent, soap is one.
Sources said soap factories located in Dhaka, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Cumilla, Bagura, Rangpur, Savar and Kishorganj refine animal fat to manufacture soap.
Md Saimul, who has been collecting such fat over the last five years, said this is mainly collected from the city residents across the capital after Eid ul-Azha.
“We buy one kilogramme of animal fat at Tk 40- Tk 45,” he added.
Like Saimul thousands are involved in this business that hits a peak after the holy festivity.
Businessman Anju Bepari in Kalyanpur area in Dhaka explained that there is a large number of fat collectors selling it to them.
“After obtaining fat from the collectors, we supply them to soap factory owners. In Notun Bazar area under Kalyanpur, around 500 people are involved in this business,” he gave an estimate.
“A one-kilogramme animal fat is sold at Tk 70 to Tk 80 to soap factory owners. Besides, many others purchase it from us to make candle and use them for fish feed as well.”
According to Mohammad Saiful Islam, owner of Prionty Soap Factory in Kishoreganj, “Around 30 to 40 soap factories use animal fat for making soap. In our area, we have 7 to 8 factories.”
“A one-kilogramme animal fat was sold at Tk 52 last year, but this year the price is comparatively high.”
Soaps can be made of glycerin, vegetable oil, coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil, palm oil but animal fat as an ingredient is relatively cheaper compared to others.
Talking to The Business Post, Ajmal Hossain Bablu, general secretary, Bangladesh Cosmetics and Toiletries Importers Association, said: “We can reap benefit if the government gives us policy support. The prospect of animal fat is huge in soap industry.”
What requires most is the government initiative regarding the untapped animal fat market, which will surely help economy, he suggested, stressing the need for setting up a lab for research on this issue.
In its latest report titled “Edible Animal Fat Market, 2021–2028” Fortune Business Insights said the global edible animal fat market size is expected to experience significant growth of $ 63.98 billion by 2028.
The market stood at $ 41.50 billion in 2020 and is projected to exhibit a compound annual growth rate of 4.9 per cent between 2021 and 2028, according to the report published on May 2021.
