No scope for smuggling rawhides this Eid: Commerce Minister

There is no scope to smuggle rawhides out of the country during this Eid-ul-Azha, said Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Thursday.

The effective prevention of smuggling will ensure all the rawhides can be used for industrial and export purposes, he told reporters after observing the hide trading activities at Aminbazar in Dhaka.

The ministry is in contact with every trading hotspot across the country round-the-clock, he noted. Furthermore, there is a monitoring cell at the ministry to check irregularities.

Ministry officials are maintaining 24-hour communication with the district administrators and BSCIC officials. Furthermore, multiple teams are operating in Dhaka and all the sadar upazilas to prevent smuggling, Muktadir added.

The challange now is to ensure that the rawhides can be conserved properly for industrial use through timely application of salt. The ministry had began work to this end, Muktadir said on Thurday evening.

Adequate amount of salt must be applied within a few hours of slaughtering an animal, he said. Otherwise, the traders would not get fair price when selling the hides to wholesalers and tannery owners.

The government’s aim is to boost export earnings by selling an increased number of leather-made products, and also to generate new jobs, he added.

To this end, the government is working solve the issues at the Central Effluent Treatment Plant in Savar industrial zone.

The authorities are also looking to extend support to the businesses that suffered major losses due to the relocation of tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar.