The Tk 10,000 crore that has been invested in domestic tanneries will be at risk of being left without enough rawhide if the government allows exports, he added.
Currently, 140 out of 154 tanneries are operational at the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate (STIE), where the inventory of unsold hides remains a problem.
This year, more than 85 lakh cows and goats may be slaughtered across the country, nearly 15 lakh fewer than last year. This is due to the current economic situation and also because many well-off people are not in the country due to political problems, he said.
Four state-owned banks, namely Sonali, Rupali, Janata, and Agrani, agreed to provide Tk 125 crore to tanners to purchase rawhide this Eid-ul-Azha, when more than 50 percent of the rawhides are collected each year.