Home ›› 09 Jul 2022 ›› Nation
With only a single day left before the Eid-ul-Azha, sacrificial animal sales reached a peak despite comparatively higher prices amid record supply following surplus production in cattle markets of the Khulna and Rajshahi divisions.
Cattle markets in Khulna city and 59 upazilas of the Khulna division gradually appeared vibrant only one day ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha but buyers found the sacrificial animals’ price to be a little exorbitant compared to previous years.
Khulna City Corporation (KCC) allowed the installation of a lone makeshift cattle market maintaining health guidelines in the city on July 3, 2022.
Market operators said besides the local buyers, the wholesale cattle traders continued to send livestock to the markets in the city and 9 upazilas of the district from different districts in the Khulna division.
“There is no shortage of cattle supply to the markets though there are no Indian imported cattle this year,” Mahmud Chowdhury, a cattle trader who came from Kalia upazila of Narail, said at Zoragate cattle market at KCC yesterday.
But market observers and buyers said the price of a medium-sized cow ranged between Tk 1,20,000 to Tk 2,0,00,00 and a goat was being sold at prices between Tk 25,000 to Tk 35,0000, a price range which appeared a little higher than the previous year.
Prince, an owner of a dairy farm, namely ‘Saad and Shams Agro Farm’ in City’s Daulatpur area said, “I have bought 26 cows at Zoragate cattle market. My small size cow’s price is Tk 62,000 and the biggest ox namely ‘Kalu’s price is Tk 16 lakh while ‘Nabab’s price is Tk 15 lakh,”.
Traders attributed the higher price to the soaring price of animal feed and transport costs. Bazar Super of KCC MA Mazed said KCC earned over Tk two crore selling over 6,940 sacrificial animals last year at Zoragate makeshift cattle market.
He hoped KCC will earn over Tk 2.5 crore from selling over 10,000 sacrificial animals this year.
Officials said the 9 upazilas of the district installed a total of 27 cattle markets and KCC installed a lone cattle market in the Zoragate area.
Khulna Metropolitan Police Commissioner (KMP) Masudur Rahman Bhuiyan said, “We have taken three-tier security measures including huge close circuit cameras (CC) at the Zoragate cattle market.”
The cattle markets in Rajshahi have been witnessing plenty of supply of locally reared sacrificial animals following a remarkable boost in the local animal husbandry sector in recent years.
According to market sources, the buyers prefer locally reared healthier and hygienic cattle-heads as sacrificial animals than the artificially fattened or extremely lower number of imported ones.
As a whole, the boosted native cattle production has been dominating the markets of sacrificial animals. In most of the cattle markets, the buyers were seen opting to purchase native animals.
Atiqur Rahman Kalu, Lease Holder of City Haat, said the cattle markets are witnessing a record supply of sacrificial animals in the adjacent districts following a huge boost in the local animal husbandry sector in recent years.
Rajshahi City Corporation allowed the installation of eight makeshift cattle markets in the city which began to draw huge cattle.
Traders said there were plenty of supplies of cattle in the markets and their prices were similar to the last Eid-ul-Azha. The price of an ideal-sized cow or buffalo starts from Tk 30,000 to 80,000 and a sheep or goat can be purchased from Tk 5,000 to 25,000 according to size.
In addition to the city’s biggest cattle market-City haat, some temporary markets have been set up at Court Bazaar, Shaheb Bazaar Zero point, Railway Station, Court Station, Naodapara AamChattar and Kazla.
Meanwhile, currency-screening machines were installed in some of the cattle markets in the city and nine upazilas of the district with a view to resisting the use of fake notes on the occasion of holy Eid-ul-Azha.
Abu Kalam Siddique, Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP), told journalists that all-out security measures were taken to check law and order in and around the cattle markets.
“Besides, we have introduced a special traffic management system to ease traffic congestion in and around cattle markets in the city,” he pointed out.
RMP installed temporary security camps at every cattle market here. Besides, ‘patrol teams and plainclothes police were also deployed,’ added the RMP chief.
Necessary measures were also taken so that the cattle markets are not set up on roads and streets disrupting the movement of vehicles.
