The annual rush of rawhide trading has begun at Posta, the country's largest rawhide market, as thousands of sacrificial animal skins from across Bangladesh arrive in the capital following Eid-ul-Azha.
Located in the Posta area of Lalbagh in Old Dhaka, the bustling market has once again transformed into a hive of activity, with the arrival of trucks, pickups and vans carrying freshly collected cattle and goat hides from different districts.
Workers were seen unloading piles of rawhides, sorting them by size and quality, and applying salt to prevent spoilage before dispatching them to the Tannery Industrial Estate in Savar.
The air is heavy with the smell of fresh hides and salt, while traders, labourers and transport workers work around the clock to handle the seasonal surge that plays a crucial role in Bangladesh's leather industry.
Rawhide preservation remains a key concern for traders, particularly during the hot and humid weather that follows Eid. To minimise losses, workers were busy salting hides in warehouses and makeshift storage spaces across the market.
Although the government has fixed rawhide prices and announced the distribution of free salt to facilitate preservation, many traders remain uncertain about the market outlook.
Photographs taken on Friday capture the intense activity at Posta, where workers shoulder heavy loads, traders negotiate prices and rows of salted hides stretch across warehouses – offering a vivid glimpse into one of the country's largest seasonal trading operations.
