Ample sacrificial animals, fewer buyers

Cattle traders in Rajshahi are worried over sales this year as there are fewer buyers than expected in the various markets of the city.

Sacrificial animal markets have been set up in all upazilas of the district as Eid-ul-Azha is only a few days away.

Although the supply of cattle is good in the markets this year, the traders have said that the sale is less than expected. However, the traders expect sales to gain momentum as a lot of people buy animals at the last moment.

According to the traders, the buyers are more focused on medium-sized animals this year.

Even though the cattle markets around the city are not jam-packed, they are lively with sellers and buyers bargaining for desired prices.

The traders expect a higher price for their animals as the prices of cattle feed have gone up. But the buyers are bargaining for a much lower price.

Shahabuddin, a resident of Krishnapur in Tanore, Rajshahi, bought five cows from the village to sell at the city’s market. Buyers are offering Tk 90,000 for his cows of four maunds and Tk 110,000 for the cows of five maunds which are Tk 10,000-15,000 less than the price he bought them for.

Ainal Haque of Paba upazila also brought cows for sale from villages to the city markets.

He made a profit of Tk 5,000-10,000 per cow in the previous years and also had similar expectations this year. But the low number of buyers and the price they are offering has left the trader disheartened.

“The price of cattle is much higher this year considering the cost of rearing them after the prices of feed went up,” said a cow farmer Ashraf Hossain who brought his cows to sell at the city’s cattle markets.

A resident of the city, Ainal Kabiraj, said he came to buy a five-maund cow with six other partners. They expected to buy a cow early on but the prices are higher than expected.

Faruk Hossain Dablu, a member of the Rajshahi City Cattle Market Committee, said the supply of animals in the markets is plenty. Many traders are bringing their cattle from all over the region as business was dull in the past two years due to Covid-19 restrictions.

A total of 27, 28,480 sacrificial animals were reared in the eight districts of the Rajshahi division this year. In the Rajshahi district, a total of 3, 92,852 cattle were reared for the sacrificial animal markets.

The 16,079 cattle farmers of the district have reared a total of 1,21,372 cows, 2,33,235 goats, 38,245 sheep, 3,118 buffaloes. The potential demand for sacrificial animals in the district is 3,82,118.

According to the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Rajshahi, last year, 3,82,000 animals were reared in the district and about 3,09,000 animals were sold.

A large part of the unsold animals has been added to the number of reared animals this year. Concerned parties are worried about a large number of animals remaining unsold this year as well.

District Livestock Officer Dr Zulfiqar Mohammad Akhter Hossain said the Eid Bazar is expected to be favourable for both sellers and buyers as there is a high supply of livestock in Rajshahi.

“The potential buyers are increasing in the markets and sales will pick up a day or two before Eid. Some animals may remain unsold since there are animal surpluses,” he said.