This year there have been instances when rawhide was left on the roads or thrown in dustbins or rivers.
In some cases, infuriated sellers buried the hide after getting derisory price officers. Since the proceeds from selling rawhide is a major source of income for Qawmi madrasas, this year they will face a crisis.
The commerce ministry fixed Tk 45 to Tk 50 for per square feet of hides in Dhaka and Tk 35 -Tk 40 outside Dhaka. The rate of goatskin was fixed at Tk 18-20 per square feet. But the sellers did not get the price stipulated by the government.
Qawmi madrasas are feeling the pinch since a large portion of their income comes from selling rawhide. The madrasas earn in several ways: they take donations of hide while sometimes, hide is bought with funds from the madrasa which is later sold to traders.
Moulana Wali Ullah Arman said: “This year, we could not make any profit from selling hides, instead, we had to spend from our own funds.”
Mufti Sakhawat Hossain, says: “Last year, we held seminars, rallies and human chains to bring the matter to the government’s attention though nothing changed.”
Madrasas will face temporary crisis but in the future, we cannot rely on the income from rawhide, he commented.
“Many of the leading religious leaders and scholars are outside the country and so we will wait until they return, talk to them and then decide the next course of action.”
Moulana Munir Ahmed of Baridhara madrasa, says: “Firstly, the syndicate behind the price manipulation has to be broken and this will only be possible with state initiative.”
Moulana Mahfuzul Huq, adds: “Due to rawhide syndicates, madrasas have had to face loss and in addition, a large amount of hides was wasted.”
Since the depravity of syndicates has deprived poor students, the government must take action, he asserted.