Bangladesh hides and skins sector feels the effects of anthrax
20/09/2010
Consumers have been avoiding beef, which has led to a decline in cattle slaughter and more limited supply of hides.
The president of the Bangladesh Hides and Skin Merchants Association, Mohammed Aftab, has said supplies of bovine hides were 80% below normal levels for the time of year. He told local media that his members mainly collect hides and skins at the time of three Muslim festivals, Shab-e-Barat, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. The first two of these fell this year during the summer at the time of the anthrax outbreak. This led to only one-fifth of the usual number of head of cattle being slaughtered, Mr Aftab told local media.
Some in the leather industry have called on the government to put into effect a nation-wide vaccination programme to prevent anthrax from spreading further.
Share this story:
