'Salt prices increasing ahead of Eid-ul-Azha'

Tanners are worried over the high prices of salt in the country ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha as it will raise the cost of rawhide preservation of sacrificed animals.

Salt, an essential ingredient for the preservation of rawhides, is selling at Tk 18-19 per kg against the import price of only Tk 5.25, the tanners alleged.

Some unscrupulous businesspeople increased the prices of salt creating an artificial crisis in the market ahead of the Eid-ul Azha, they claimed, reports UNB.

“Now a sack having 72kg salt is selling at Tk 1350 in Dhaka, while Tk 1250 in Chittagong. So, the price of per kg salt stands at Tk 18-19, though the import cost of is only Tk 5.25,” Bangladesh Tanners Association's general secretary Shakawat Ullah said.

The price of one sack of salt was Tk 1,000 just a week ago, he claimed.

BTA chairman Shaheen Ahmed said Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed will sit with tanners for fixing the prices of rawhides on Sunday.

He claimed that seasonal traders finally purchase rawhides at higher rates than the ones fixed by the government.

The BTA chairman said the tannery industry is passing through a critical time as many tanneries are yet to shift in the designated tannery estate in Savar from the capital’s Hazaribagh area.

“Some 63-64 industrial units were set up at Savar tannery estate. Of these, only 20-25 got gas connections,” he claimed.

During the Eid-ul Azha in 2016, tanners brought cowhide with salt at Tk 50 per square foot in Dhaka and Tk 40 elsewhere in the country.  

They purchased goat hide at maximum Tk 20 per square foot, while that of she-goat at Tk 15 per square foot, buffalo hide at Tk 25 per square foot in 2016.

According to industries and commerce ministry, some 1.4 million metric tonnes of salt was produced in the country this year against the annual demand of 1.6 million metric tonnes.

The government has already approved 232 refinery mills to import 0.5 million tonnes of salt more to meet the deficit.     

Rawhide traders said it needs 8-10 kg salt for preserving each cow rawhide, while 10-12 kg for each buffalo rawhide and 1-2kg salt for goat and sheep.

So, it will cost Tk 150 to Tk 200 against salt for each cowhide. It needs to use salt in rawhides within six hours after the animal slaughtered.

According to an estimate of BTA, the tanners will collect some 4.5-5 million pieces of cowhides, 1.5-2 million pieces of goat hides, 0.5 million pieces of sheep’s hides and 0.5 million pieces of buffalo hides during the Eid-ul Azha.

As per the statistics of the Department of Livestock Services (DLS), there are 54.7 million of animals in the country. Of them, at least 25.4 million cows and buffalos, while 29.3 million goats and sheep.

Among those, some 115,000 animals are suitable for sacrifices during the Eid-ul Azha.