NATORE. Aug Z: Dull trade has rendered hundreds of workers at the 150 raw leather godowns in the district jobless.

According to Md Saidur Rahman Khan, General Secretary of the Hides Traders' group in Natore: "'The leather traders here are forced to cut their businesses due to non-payment of Tk. 20 crore dues by the tannery owners in Dhaka's Postagola and Hazaribagh. He said that Tk 12 crore, out of the total amount of arrears, was against the animal hides supplied to the Dhaka tanneries last season.

Saidur demanded government intervention to save the leather business in Natore, which started in the early '80s

and was a highly profitable business up to 1996.

Sources in the Natore Hide market here told The Daily Star that the traders purchased, processed and supplied about 40 lakh pieces of hide every year to tanneries in. Dhaka between 1996-98. This includes the hides of about 28 lakh animals sacrificed during the Holy Eld-ul-Azha. But this year, the traders were not able to buy the hide^of sacrificial animals due to fund crisis, they said.

Smugglers are also active in the region to take advantage of the situation. Large quantities of hides are being smuggled out to India through various border points of Natore. Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts,

many focal traders alleged.

Local traders are also keen to sell their hides to the smugglers as they get prompt and higher payments.

Eyewitnesses and local traders said that during last Eld ul Azha, Indian money lenders and traders, along Bangladesh Border were busy buying hides through their middlemen the country. The middlemen with the money advanced by the Indian hide traders have established a number of small and temporary godowns at the border points of Aarani, Lalpur. Sreepur. Rajabari. Charghat. Bagha, Premtali, Hakimpur. Ranihat, Shibganj and Rohon-pur etc.