The government has instructed deputy commissioners (DCs) to monitor the management of rawhide and skin of sacrificial animals, including preservation and transportation, during Eid-ul-Azha, officials said.
They have been asked to open control rooms in their respective administrative areas to this effect.
The instruction came during a virtual meeting with commerce secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh in the chair on Wednesday.
Senior officials of the ministry and representatives from different state agencies took part in the meeting.
"We've asked the DCs for measures to ensure fair prices of rawhide and also instructed to take steps on preservation of slaughtered sacrificial animals, if necessary," a senior official said.
Commerce ministry has asked the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regula-tory Commission to provide a short message from July 19 to 21 to create awareness among phone users of mixing required salt in rawhide for preservation.
Meanwhile, it has formed a central joint coordination committee, headed by Mr Ghosh, to oversee the total activities of rawhide and skin of cattle.
The committee will monitor and coordinate preservation and stock of rawhide and transaction issues during the second-largest religious festival of Muslims.
It will also take necessary steps to help facilitate transportation of such hides across the country.
Besides, the ministry has formed a divisional committee comprising senior officials to monitor and coordinate the rawhide and skin issue during the period.
It will conduct a virtual meeting with traders' associations and stakeholders today (Thursday) to fix rawhide prices.
Commerce minister Tipu Munshi will preside over the meeting from his secretariat.
A high official of the commerce said, "We'll take steps to ensure fair prices of rawhide."
More than 50 per cent of the rawhide and skin is collected during Eid-ul-Azha.
The supply of rawhide and skin in the country is an estimated 20-million units, according to the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission data.
Thousands of pieces of rawhide remained unsold during last year's Eid-ul-Azha.
Having failed to get expected prices, hundreds of people buried their cow, goat and buffalo rawhide. Others sold them at dumped rates.
Currently, there are 412-million sacrificial animals in the country.
This year, 11.9-million animals are ready for slaughtering, according fisheries and livestock ministry.
