The government has fixed the price of salt-treated rawhide for Dhaka and other parts of the country ahead of Eid ul Azha. The price of salt-treated rawhide of cows has been fixed at Tk 50-55 per square feet in Dhaka and Tk 45-48 in other parts of the country.
Commerce minister Tipu Munshi revealed this to newspersons after a meeting on fixing rawhide prices and its proper management at the ministry’s meeting room on Sunday.
The price of cow rawhide price has been hiked by 6 per cent, he said.
The price was Tk 47-52 per sqft in Dhaka and Tk 40-44 outside of Dhaka last year.
However, the price of raw goatskin has not been increased from the last year.
The commerce minister said, “We don’t want to raise the price of raw goatskin as the number of this is huge.”
“The price of goatskin (khasi) is Tk 18-20 per sqft and goatskin Tk 12-14 per sqft,” he added.
Asked about tannery owners’ syndicate, Tipu Munshi said the government would give approval to export of wet blue leather if anyone decreases the price through market manipulation.
Responding to the question on why the price of salt is increasing despite record production this year, the minister remarked the price of salt is not reasonable. This is the responsibility of the industries ministry, he added.
But if necessary he would talk to the industries minister and raid the places where unscrupulous traders hoarding salt, Tipu Munshi added.
Commerce secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh, Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission chairman Faizul Islam and traders involved with rawhide business were also present at the meeting.