Record supply of local sacrificial animals in Rangpur

A record number of locally-reared sacrificial animals has flooded markets across the Rangpur district where the sale got full momentum from Thursday as only Two days are left before Eid-ul-Azha.

Farm owners and traders of different markets said they reared more local animals despite the increase in fodder price with the hope of getting better profit this year if sacrificial animals were not imported from neighbouring countries.

Cattle traders said the sale of sacrificial animals might increase further during the next two days ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha festivity when buyers would start purchasing sacrificial animals en-masse.

Buyers at bigger cattle markets said they preferred the hygienically reared healthier and middle-sized local cattle-heads as sacrificial animals to artificially fattened and huge-sized ones.

Training Officer of the Department of Livestock, Rangpur Md Babul Hossain said cattle farms and farmers have produced 3,53,700 bullocks, cows, oxen, claves, buffalos, goats and sheep as sacrificial animals in the district.

“We have 1,32,400 surplus sacrificial animals as there is a demand of 2,21,300 animals this time in the district,” he said.

Adequate numbers of livestock physicians’ teams are working in the sacrificial animal markets at the upazila and district levels to check the health conditions of sacrificial animals.

Cattle trader Khalilur Rahman at Lalbag Cattle Market in Rangpur city said the price of sacrificial animals is comparatively higher due to high fodder price despite a record supply of locally-reared healthier cattle-heads this year.

“Bullocks, calves and cows are selling at higher rates of Tk 25,000 to 60,000 on an average depending on size and quality than last year,” said cattle trader Mahfuz Ullah at Lalbag Cattle Market.

Cattle trader Mozahar Hossain at the same market said the price of bullocks and cows marked a rise this time due to an increase in fodder price in comparison with last year’s price.

“Medium-sized bullocks are being sold at rates between Tk 75,000 and Tk 1.5 lakh while large-sized between Tk 1.6 lakh and Tk 2.5 lakh and extra large-sized bullocks at rates between Tk four-lakh and Tk six-lakh,” he said.

Cattle trader Liyakat Ali at Badarganj Cattle Market in Rangpur said the present market price of sacrificial animals might be even higher, but a huge boost in the local animal husbandry sector with record supply kept the price tolerable level.

Cattle farmer Echhahaq Ali of village Kathihara under Rangpur Sadar upazila said he expected to sell his reared medium-sized bullock weighing 250 kilogrammes at Tk 1.5 lakh.

“But none of the buyers is ready to purchase my bullock at over Tk one-lakh so far despite demand for medium-sized cows is high,” he said.

Cattle farmer Mahbubar Rahman at Taraganj Cattle Market expressed his happiness after selling his medium-sized bullock at Tk 95,000 saying that the price of medium-sized cows is satisfactory this year.

Farmer Kochhim Uddin sold his middle-sized bull at Tk 80,000 against his expectation of Tk 90,000 and Arman Hossain sold his middle-sized bull at Tk 75,000 against his expectation of Tk 90,000 at Lalbag Cattle Market in Rangpur city.