Economic Reporter :
Locally-reared cattle are dominating the makeshift cattle markets in the capital as huge numbers of sacrificial animals have already gathered from various districts across the country.
However, few cattle from India, Myanmar and Nepal were available in the city cattle haats as the cattle inflow from India, both legally and illegally, has dropped significantly this year.
Visiting different cattle markets, this correspondent found that people from various districts have already reached the city with their sacrificial animals, and most of them are locally reared.
“There is a big collection of locally-reared cattle compared to the previous years as indigenous farmers are getting benefitted selling the locally-reared variety cattle for the past few years”, informed a lease holders of ShanirAkhra-Daniya area in the city.
The open space of ShanirAkhra-Daniya playground which is now an important cattle market in the city is full of sacrificial animals. Some cattle are found beside the road due to lack of space in the main site of the haat (market) violating the lease terms.
Shahabuddin is one of the cattle farmers who reached the city from Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh district to sell his sacrificial animals.
After travelling long, he brought 12 sacrificial animals. He said his cattle were medium in size and the expected price would range from TK 80,000 to TK 1,20,000.
Mosharraf Hossain, leaseholder of the haat, said, “Presence of buyers and sellers would increase further in three-four days before Eid.”
The Department of Livestock Services (DLS) said that 5,77,416 commercial farms and farmers have around 1,17,88,563 sacrificial animals ready to meet the demand for 1,10,00,000.
Despite selling is yet to be started in full swing, many people are coming in the markets to see the price situation of the cattle and some of them are purchasing various sacrificial animals.
Buyers complained that traders are charging high price for the sacrificial animals compared to the last few years.
A buyer Shamim Ahmed, who came to see the market situation, said, the prices of the sacrificial animals were quite high this year. On the other hand, the sellers claimed that they had to spend a huge amount of money for the fodder and also had to spend much as transportation cost for bringing the cattle in the capital.
