The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The government will disburse Tk 175 crore this year to the hide and skin traders to buy raw hides from around the country on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha.

President of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather goods and Footwear Exporters Association Md Tipu Munshi yesterday told The New Nation that loan will be sanctioned based on bank-client relationship.

The loan disbursement will be started from Monday, he informed. Tipu said despite the loss of cattle heads in the cyclone Sidr there will be no shortage this year as people in Pabna, Ishwardi, Dinajpur, Kustia, Sirajganj and Mymensingh are farming a good number of cattleheads.

This type of farming, targeting the Eid-ul-Azha, is being done for the last 4/5 years, he said.

Quoting the border sources the BFLLFEA president said the flow of cattle head from the neighbouring countries is satisfactory, thus there will be no shortage.

"We were expecting a growth this year in the number of hides and skin but there is no chance at all," he said.

According to him every year they collect nearly 25 lakh cow hides and 45 lakh goat hides during the Eid-ul-Azha.

Nearly 40 per cent of the total hide and skins are being collected during the Eid season. The size and quality of hide and skins, collected during Eid season, is higher than the yearly average.

Last year tannery owners bought per square feet of cow hide at Tk 70 and Tk 60 in and outside of Dhaka respectively while per square feet of goat hide was priced at Tk 40.