A huge amount of raw hides were damaged during the last Eid-ul-Adha due to inexperience and inefficiency. At least 21 percent of cowhides were found to have ‘flay cuts’, which negatively affected both the quality and market price of the hides.
As a result, these hides were sold at an average price of 45 percent less than good quality hides, according to the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
Inexperienced slaughtering practices causing major rawhide loss
CPD Senior Research Associate Tamim Ahmed presented this information at a research evaluation workshop titled ‘Bangladesh Leather Supply Chain: Ensuring Quality and Price of Raw Leather’ at the Dhaka Club in the capital on Monday (June 23).
The research was conducted for four months from February to June this year with the support of Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA) and Leather Sector Business Promotion Council (LSBPC). The research collected data from a total of 768 participants from Dhaka, Barisal, Chittagong, Natore and Mymensingh districts. They included qurbani donors, representatives of madrasas and orphanages, seasonal traders, traders, shopkeepers, tannery owners and employees.
Tamim Ahmed said, “Flay cut refers to the scars caused by excessive pressure or improper use of sharp weapons during skinning. Due to these scars and tears, even good quality leather is becoming low-quality or unnecessary.”
“Our researchers went to the field and found cut and torn leather thrown away. Leather is being wasted due to the lack of skilled butchers and effective slaughterhouses. The country’s leather industry is facing losses due to the lack of proper skinning and preservation facilities.”
“It is worth noting that according to the information of the Department of Livestock, 91 lakh 36 thousand 734 animals were sacrificed in the country this Eid. Of these, 47 lakh 5 thousand 106 were cows and buffaloes.”
The research report also said that many did not use salt to preserve the skin during the sacrifice. None of the sacrificers used salt, 37 percent of madrasas and 83 percent of seasonal traders sold the skin without salt. As a result, the quality of the skin has been damaged.
According to the CPD research, although the number of sacrificial animals in Dhaka city has exceeded 2 million, there are only 11,600 professional butchers (according to the Bangladesh Meat Traders Association). As per the countrywide figures, only 4.8 percent of cows were slaughtered by professional butchers during Eid 2025. In 13.3 percent of cases, the sacrificer slaughtered the animal himself, and 81.9 percent of the sacrifices were done through representatives of madrasas or mosques, most of whom are not trained butchers.
The study said that at the government-set price, salted cow skin is expected to be purchased at 60-65 taka per square foot in Dhaka this Eid and 55-60 taka outside Dhaka. But in reality, due to differences in quality, the average price of good quality leather was 39 taka, while the average price of poor quality leather with cuts and stains was 27 taka.
Tamim Ahmed said, “To get a good price, the quality of the leather must be ensured. Proper slaughtering, skinning and proper preservation are essential. We have seen that Bengal Meat sells its leather for about 2,000 taka as a result of properly slaughtering and skinning each cow.”
