Hides left to rot in Moulvibazar

Hundreds of sacrificial animal hides were lost across rural areas of Moulvibazar during Eid-ul-Azha due to a lack of buyers and a salt shortage, which left traders unable to preserve much of what they collected.

Many residents waited throughout the day for buyers, only to bury the hides or dump them into nearby water bodies.

Traders said the district has long lacked adequate hide-preservation infrastructure. With buyers offering as little as Tk 50-100 per hide, many seasonal traders opted out this year.

According to traders, apart from a handful of depots in Balikandi village of Sadar upazila, there are no preservation facilities in the district.

Md Shawkat, president of the Balikandi Bazar Rawhide Traders Association, said around 2,000 hides had been purchased, but available salt stocks stood at only 150 maunds against a requirement of 300-400.

He said Tk 95 lakh in dues from last year remained unpaid by tannery owners and depot traders, causing substantial losses.

The Balikandi rawhide market has a history stretching back roughly two centuries, but traders said the last decade has seen a steady decline.

While Balikandi once had 25-30 traders, only five or six remain active now, with around two dozen seasonal traders joining the market during Eid.