Govt approves export of 1 cr feet rawhide

Staff Correspondent: The government has allowed five companies to export 1 crore feet of rawhide (known as wet blue) for the first time in the history of the country.
According to the government order, the approved quantities of wet blue would be exported to the European Union, Russia, Ukraine, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Vietnam and Japan up to June 30, 2022.
Office of Chief Controller of Imports and Exports yesterday received the letter of the approval for the export of wet blue from the export wing of the commerce ministry. The five companies, ASK Investment, Kader Leather Complex Ltd, Amin Tannery Ltd, Leather Industries of Bangladesh Ltd (unit-2) and Kalam Brothers, received approval for exporting the rawhide 20 lakh feet each.
The government on July 29, 2020 temporarily lifted the ban on export of rawhide and wet blue leather in an effort to keep demand and supply of the items stable. The Office of the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports under the commerce ministry had issued a public notice lifting the export ban on the raw and wet blue leathers imposed by the Export Policy 2018-21.
The government had taken the decision against the backdrop of a drastic fall in prices of the rawhide in 2020.
The procurement process of rawhide of sacrificial animals witnessed an unprecedented disorder in last two years as people who sacrificed animals and collected rawhide dumped a sizeable amount of the items after business syndicates declined to pay the minimum price.
Commerce ministry additional secretary Md Hafizur Rahman yesterday told that buyers were not allowing leatherwoods produced with the locally collected rawhide due to the lack of environmental compliance.
‘Considering the situation, the government has allowed export of rawhide as the country sits on the stockpile of the item,’ he said.
Hafizur Rahman said that the government would allow export of rawhide and wet blue case to case basis.