Seasonal traders of Rajshahi are unable to sell their leather even at the price they bought. They alleged that the price of leather was being reduced by the syndicate. They are blaming the regular leather traders for this. However, professional leather traders complained that seasonal traders bought leather at higher prices than the price government had fixed. As a result, they suffer losses.
Professional leather traders said, the government has fixed the price of per leather is at tk700 to tk800 but the seasonal traders have bought leather at Tk1000 to Tk1200.
In this regard, Rayes Uddin, a leather businessman of the city's stadium market in Rajshahi said, ‘I bought five hundred pieces of cow-leather at Tk700 to Tk1, 000. I also bought three hundred pieces of goat leather at tk 50 to tk 60. However, the seasonal traders bought leather at a high price in this Eid. That’s why I did not buy leather from them at this high rate because a ‘maund’ of salt is needed to prepare 10 pieces of cow-leather. Because of the high value of salt and labor, we are still worried about the leather price. '
He also said, 'we prepare the leather with salt under our supervision.’He claims that every day a worker has to pay Tk2, 000. It will take another 15 days to sell these in Natore.
Expressing anger over seasonal traders, leather Businessman Abdul Wahab said that he could have bought leather of 30 cows and 40 goats only. ‘Because of these seasonal traders, I could not buy more leathers. Seasonal traders do not do business throughout the year. Without calculating the risk factors, they start the business suddenly. As a result, they face losses. And if we purchase leathers from our local area, we calculate the related factors.’
However, seasonal traders have blamed the Syndicate of regular leather traders for the low price of leathers. Seasonal trader Mokhlesur Rahman of Shalbagan area of the city of Rajshahi said that he purchased leather of 50 goats and 20 cows and count at Tk. 3,800 loss.
Abdur Rauf, the general secretary of Rajshahi District Leather Business Group, said that their capital has decreased because the capital stuck in the last two seasons. ‘With this short capital, we have to buy leathers competing with the seasonal traders.’
Meanwhile, there has been extensive surveillance in border areas of Rajshahi region. Police and BGB sources said that there is no problem if the leather goes to Dhaka from Rajshahi. But if the opposite happens, it has been ordered to seize the leather.