A Correspondent :
Huge sacrificial animals from nearby Myanmar and India are reaching the cattle markets in the port city. But, sufficient supply of sacrificial animals from the locality in the cattle markets cannot ensure a fair price.
Sources said, hundreds of cattle are entering through border of Myanmar for the upcoming Eid-ul- Azha in last several days. Several hundreds of cattle are coming in the local markets from Myanmar every day.
According to the sources, now, sufficient supply of sacrificial animals cannot control the higher prices this year. The buyers of the sacrificial animals have started to buy sacrificial animals from Friday.
The cattle traders alleged that the extortion and the threat of the terrorists already took control of the market this year. The cattle traders hoped that huge imported cattle from nearest country would reach within very short time. The prices of the sacrificial animals will come under control following arrival of imported cattle.
On the other hand, many temporary cattle markets are seen in the port city. There are many cattle traders who tied their cattle at the lanes or mohallas in the port city and they are selling the cattle to the locals with nominal profits. There are at least 300 such types of centers here and there in the port city.
Mohammed Reaz Ahamod, a temporary cattle trader who collected 40 cattle for selling and tied these at the Jamal Khan road in the port city said, “I collected 40 cattle from villages and tied here at Jamal Khan road areas. I am selling the cattle to the locals who do not want to visit the cattle markets.
Besides, I will deliver the cattle to the buyers on the morning of Eid day. As a result, the buyers have no tension for preserving the cattle before Eid.”
He claimed that he is selling the cattle with profit of Tk one or two thousand. Moreover, he takes Tk 200 per day for preserving the cattle till Eid day morning. Though the supply of the sacrificial animal is sufficient from locality the cattle traders were still demanding higher prices. “But, on Monday, the price of cattle was lower with satisfactory selling,” said Shahid Ul alam, a cattle trader of Bibir Hat.
The total demand for cattle in Chittagong is some 7 lakh for sacrificial purposes. Of them, some three lakh cattle are imported from India every year. Some of them were also imported from Myanmar in the local market. The cattle traders said they paid Tk five hundred for each cattle as tax.
According to the sources in district administration, the Chittagong dwellers sacrificed a total of 5.40 lakh cattle last year. But, the administration hoped that in the current year the number of sacrificed cattle will be more at least 10 percent of the last year.
District Livestock Officer Reazul Haque said, the number of sacrificial cattle will be more than 5.91 lakh during upcoming Eid. “We hope that at least 10 percent will be increased in the current year.”
Meanwhile, the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) took special steps to arrest the extortionists and cadres who are involved with collecting of tolls at the cattle markets in Chittagong. At least two teams of police already been deployed at each cattle market in the port city.
Besides, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) also took measures in this regard, sources said. It may be mentioned that there are two regular cattle market Bibirhat and Sagarika and five irregular cattle market-Salt-gola, Still Mill and Karnaphuly Bridge in the port city area. Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) earned around Tk four lakh from the lease of the five irregular hats every year.
The two permanent Cattle haats Pahartoli Sagorika Cattle Market and Bibir Hat Cattle Market leased for one year. Other five temporary Cattle hats were leased for only nine days before the Eid- ul- Azha.
The CCC approved the lease of Pahartoli Sagorika Cattle Market and Bibirhat Cattle Market for one year. Around five hundred cattle markets including regular and temporary are organized in the 14 upazila areas in the district before the Eid- ul- Azha.
