BSS, Chittagong :Cattle markets in the port city and 14 upazilas of the district gradually appeared vibrant a week ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha but buyers found the sacrificial animals’ price to be a little exorbitant compared to past several years.Chittagong City Corporation allowed installation of seven makeshift cattle markets in the port city which began to draw huge cattle, including imported ones from Myanmar as well as India.Chittagong region borders Myanmar and cattle markets here draw a huge number of Burmese cattle alongside the local breeds and imported Indian livestock.Market operators said besides the local buyers, the wholesale cattle traders continued to send livestock at the markets in the city and 14 upazilas of the district from different parts of the country.”There is no shortage of cattle supply to the markets though the Indian cattle are fewer in number this year,” Sayed Alam, a cattle trader, who came from frontier Teqnaf that borders Myanmar, told BSS.But market observers and buyers said the price of a standard sized cow or buffalo ranged between Taka 40,000 to 95,000 and a sheep or goat were being sold at prices between Taka 7,000 to 20,000, a price range which appeared a little higher than the previous years.Traders attributed the higher price to the soaring price of animal feed and transport cost.Sagorika Bazar and the Bibir Hat Bazar are the permanent cattle trading centres while the makeshift ones were set up at Steel Mill Bazar, Court Bazar, Karnaphuli South Side, Nurnagar Housing Society Hat, Patenga City Corporation High School premises, Komol Mohajan Hat and Shah Amanat Bridge.Officials said the 14 upazilas installed at least one market at the headquarters of the sub-districts.Market operators installed currency screening machines in some of the cattle markets while police said steps were taken to ensure required security in the market places.”Besides, we have introduced a special traffic management system to ease traffic congestion in and around cattle markets in the city,” Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Abdul Jalil Mondol told BSS.
