According to local reports, three state-owned banks in Bangladesh — Sonali, Agrani and Janata — have agreed to lend tanners some Tk335 crore ($48.903 million) to purchase hides from sacrificial animals during the Eid-ul-Azha festival.

Industry officials estimate that a massive 80% of the 220 sq.ft. of leather produced in Bangladesh each year is procured from the sacrificial animals sold during the festival. However, some fear that prices may rise and that tanners may struggle to procure sufficient supplies this year following the cyclone that devastated the national herd in November, killing at least 100,000 cattle.

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