Hundreds of rawhides left on roads in Ctg

The morning after Eid-ul-Azha presented an unpleasant sight in Chattogram city, as hundreds of rawhides were seen piled up along roadsides in the Muradpur and Aturar Depot areas.

Left in open streets and beside drains, the discarded hides emitted a strong stench, with swarms of flies hovering over them.

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Local residents said seasonal traders abandoned the hides overnight after failing to sell them at expected prices.

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Rawhide sellers count losses again

Visits to several roads in Aturar Depot and Muradpur this morning revealed piles of unsold hides scattered in different locations. According to locals, traders continued trying to sell the hides at warehouses until late at night but left them behind after failing to secure satisfactory prices. Some were also stacked in front of warehouses.

At Aturar Depot, seasonal trader Enamul Haque, who had come from Hathazari, said he had collected around 230 cowhides, spending an average of Tk 300 on each.

“Until last night, warehouse owners were unwilling to offer more than Tk 50 to Tk 100 per hide,” he told The Daily Star.

“At that price, I could not even recover transportation costs. Eventually, I was forced to abandon the hides,” he said.

Several other seasonal traders in Muradpur shared similar experiences. They alleged that a section of warehouse owners had collectively quoted very low prices, effectively paralysing the market and causing severe losses for small and seasonal traders.

Mohammad Rahim Mia, another trader, said he had collected more than 600 cowhides, including a significant number of large-sized ones.

“The average purchase price of each hide was around Tk 350. Last night, I managed to sell only 255 hides at Tk 100 each. I had to leave the rest behind. Even this morning, I could not sell the remaining ones. There are no buyers, and no one is even quoting a price. I may have to abandon them as well,” he said.

Residents expressed concern over the public health risks posed by the rotting hides.

“If these hides are not removed quickly, they could create serious health hazards,” said local resident Aminul Islam.

“This morning, I saw piles of hides by the roadside. The stench is unbearable,” he added.

Asma Begum, a worker in the Chattogram City Corporation’s sanitation department, said at least 30 to 35 piles of hides were left in front of several warehouses in Aturar Depot.

“Among them, 12 to 15 piles appeared to contain a large number of good-quality hides. It is difficult to understand why they were abandoned,” she said.

She added that the hides believed to have been discarded were being removed.

Md Muslim Uddin, president of the Chattogram Greater Rawhide Merchants’ Cooperative Society, told The Daily Star that the city’s tannery sector had shrunk drastically.

“Chattogram once had around two dozen tanneries, but now only one remains. It purchases only 100,000 to 200,000 hides yearly, while the rest have to be sold in Dhaka. Excessive dependence on Dhaka means local traders are often denied fair prices, and most transactions take place on credit, leaving us without cash liquidity,” he said.

He said many warehouse owners had purchased hides for Tk 400 to Tk 500, but damaged or cut hides found no buyers.

“As a result, seasonal traders abandoned mostly low-quality hides,” he added.

Although the government fixed the price of salted cowhide outside Dhaka at Tk 57 to Tk 62 per square foot this year, seasonal traders alleged that the rates were not reflected at the field level. They claimed that low prices offered by tanneries and warehouses had caused the entire market system to collapse.