An oversupply of animal rawhides compared to demand, inadequate maintenance systems, and failure to follow restrictions on bringing sacrificial rawhides into Dhaka from outside have led to unfair prices for rawhides, said AHM Shafiquzzaman, director general of the Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection (DNCRP).
“During this year’s Eid-ul-Azha, there were 4,00,000 surplus hides in Dhaka, which could not be processed on time,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at a shadow parliament debate competition organised by Debate for Democracy (DFD) on ensuring the fair price of raw leather at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) on Saturday.
The event was presided over by DFD Chairman Hassan Ahamed Chowdhury Kiron.
“Ensuring fair prices for rawhides is a moral duty. Failing to fulfil this duty means that the poor and helpless in society are deprived of their rightful due,” AHM Shafiquzzaman said.
Stating that in this year’s Eid-ul-Azha, restrictions on bringing sacrificial hides into Dhaka from outside were not followed, the DNCRP DG said it is necessary to investigate if any syndicate exists in the rawhide market, even though no visible ring was seen controlling rawhide prices.
Highlighting the oversupply, AHM Shafiquzzaman said, “Despite an annual domestic demand for two million hides, the supply stands at 20 million,” indicating that this further decreases the rawhide prices in the market.
The DNCRP director general also talked about the environment of tanneries in the capital. “The goal of environmental protection that led to relocating tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar has not been achieved, as leather processing continues in Postogola,” he said.
In his speech, Kiron said that the continuous decline in leather prices since 2019 has not yet been reversed. There are allegations that tannery owners and middlemen are forcing small traders to sell hides at very low prices through syndicates.
“It is necessary to investigate through intelligence agencies whether any syndicates are controlling the leather market. The value of sacrificial hides is a right of the poor and destitute. Anyone involved in destroying this right through syndicates should be identified and brought to justice,” he said.
Kiron believed that this issue deserves discussion in parliament and he requested Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention if necessary.
The DFD chairman further said that to market Bangladeshi leather internationally, obtaining the Leather Working Group (LWG) certification is crucial, as well as ensuring environmental protection and social compliance.
“Decentralising leather processing from Dhaka to modern processing facilities at the district level would benefit the public. This would help ensure fair prices for leather,” he said.
In the shadow parliament debate organised by DFD on fair prices for rawhides, debaters from American International University Bangladesh (AIUB) won, defeating Prime University debaters. Trophies, crests, and certificates were awarded to the winning teams at the end of the competition.
