The government today hiked the prices of cow-rawhide by 8 per cent to Tk 47-Tk 52 per square foot (sqft) in Dhaka during Eid-ul-Azha when millions of cattle are sacrificed by Muslims to perform their religious duties.

Besides, prices of the salt-applied rawhides have been fixed at Tk 40-Tk 44 per sqft outside of Dhaka during the Eid-ul-Azha, which makes up nearly half of hides and skins of animals slaughtered annually in Bangladesh and provides the key raw materials for US$ 1.24 billion export-earning leather and leather goods industry.

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi announced the new prices of the rawhides at a press conference at his office in Dhaka after a meeting with tanners and hide and skin traders.

For the Eid-ul-Azha in 2021, the government fixed the prices of cow rawhide at Tk 40-Tk 45 per sqft in Dhaka and Tk 33-Tk 37 per sqft outside Dhaka.

Meanwhile, the prices of castrated goat hides have been fixed at Tk 18-Tk 20 per sqft.