Trade Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin has claimed that misleading information is being circulated regarding rawhide prices during this year’s Eid-ul-Azha. He stated that the prices are actually higher than last year and are mostly being maintained as per government directives.

Speaking to journalists in Dhaka on Sunday (June 8), he said, “The prices we set included the cost of salt. Hides are being sold for Tk 700–800, which is not low. Some seasonal traders have allowed hides to partially rot due to improper preservation, yet even those are being sold at this price. Good quality hides are fetching Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,300.”

He further alleged that certain dishonest traders, in collaboration with parts of the media, are spreading false narratives with the intention of destabilizing the leather market. “This misinformation is nothing but an orchestrated attempt to cause a market collapse,” he added.

On May 26, the Ministry of Commerce set the official prices for sacrificial animal hides. In Dhaka, salted cowhide was fixed at Tk 60–65 per square foot (up from Tk 55–60 last year), and outside Dhaka at Tk 55–60 (up from Tk 50–55). The minimum price for a full cowhide in Dhaka was set at Tk 1,350 and Tk 1,150 elsewhere. Salted goat hides were priced at Tk 22–27, and sheepskin at Tk 20–22.

According to the Department of Livestock Services, demand for sacrificial animals this year was around 10.38 million, while 12.45 million animals were ready for sacrifice. Tannery owners have set a target to collect 8 to 8.5 million hides during this Eid season.