Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir has said that in many cases, animal hides could not be sold at the government-fixed prices due to a lack of awareness about proper preservation of sacrificial animal skins.
He made the remarks while responding to reporters' questions at his office at the Secretariat on Monday.
The minister said that if salt is not applied to the hides immediately after slaughter, they deteriorate quickly. As a result, the quality of many hides has been damaged, creating difficulties in their sale.
He noted that the government-fixed prices apply only to salted or properly preserved hides. However, many people who perform animal sacrifices personally donate the hides without taking immediate preservation measures. Consequently, many hides rot, their quality declines, and sellers are unable to obtain the fixed prices.
He said that the government has provided free salt this time to help preserve the skins. Even then, due to negligence in preservation and lack of awareness, it has not been possible to maintain the quality of the skins.
Referring to the potential of the leather sector, the minister said that if properly preserved, the skin of sacrificial animals can be used as an important raw material for the country's leather and leather products industry. For this, awareness needs to be raised at the field level.
At the same time, the Commerce Minister also spoke about the upcoming national budget. He said that this year's budget will be business and investment-friendly. He expressed hope that this will further boost the country's economic activities and play a helpful role in increasing investment and employment.
