B’desh to keep vigil on borders to check raw hide smuggling

Bangladesh on Sunday asked police and border guards to keep a sharp vigil on its porous border with India to prevent smuggling of raw hides of sacrificial animals during next month’s Eid-ul-Azha festival as the country seeks to harness its booming leather industry.

“We have asked today all concerned – the law enforcement agencies and the businessmen - to remain alert against smuggling of raw hides during the Eid-ul-Azha,” home secretary Mozammel Haque Khan said. He said leather appeared as the second major source of Bangladesh’s foreign currency earning and “therefore it is natural for us to put in our efforts to support the industry preventing <g data-gr-id="15">raw hide</g> smuggling.” 

Khan’s comments came hours after home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal chaired a meeting with senior officials of police and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh where the directives were issued to prevent smuggling. Bangladeshi tanners earlier had expressed hopes to procure six million pieces of <g data-gr-id="17">raw hide</g> after this year’s Eid-ul-Azha festival late next month.

Officials familiar with the meeting said the law enforcement agencies were asked to prevent movement of trucks and other vehicles carrying raw hides towards porous borders with India for smuggling.

According to business leaders, Bangladesh was likely to be an attractive destination for leather sector entrepreneurs as China, was shifting focus away from this sector.