In line with the previous couple of years, around 22.14 lakh domestic animals were sacrificed in all eight districts under the Rajshahi division during this year's Eid.
The people sacrificed 7.11 lakh cattle heads, 9,469 buffaloes, 12.31 lakh goats, and 1.81 lakh lambs.
The latest official data said there were 44.78% of animals in the farms and to the marginal farmers for sacrifice in the division this year, up by around nine lakh compared to the previous year. Around 20 lakh was sold in different parts of the country, including Dhaka and Chattogram.In 2022, there were around 44.70 lakh animals.
Dr Nazrul Islam, Divisional Director of the Department of Livestock Services, said the farmers earned around Tk 34,000 crore after selling their domestic sacrificial animals.
In the division, there were 44.79 cattle heads, buffaloes, goats, and lambs this year.
Dr Islam said the region produces enormous domestic animals as the government provides incentives for boosting animal production.
The local animal husbandry sector has marked a revolutionary boost in recent years following massive steps taken by the government and different development organisations.
In both rural and urban areas, the poor and marginalised people including women have achieved tremendous success in the sector getting various assistance from the government and development partners.
Artificial insemination of cows is gaining popularity in the region following significant achievements in improving the breeding system.
Due to the cross-breeding, the cows are giving milk 10 times more than the previous record.
Dr Nazrul Islam said the producers have adopted new and improved practices and technologies in bull rearing and fattening contributing to enhanced production and productivity.
The size of the market had expanded due to the growing active role of large and small-scale private companies.
Arafat Rubel, the owner of Sawdagar Agro Farm, said he had fattened 32 cattle heads, and all his animals were sold before Eid. He sold the highest rate of Taka 6 lakh and the lowest at Taka 90,000. There were more demands for middle-size cattle, he added.
Farmer Rubel said there were bad influences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war on the cattle business during the past three years. He, however, said the farmers recouped their losses to some extent this year.
Ramzan Ali, 48, a marginal farmer of the Subhadanga area under Bagmara Upazila said, the cattle markets had witnessed plenty of supply of locally reared sacrificial animals following a remarkable boost in the local animal husbandry sector in recent years.
The buyers also preferred locally reared healthier and hygienic cattle heads as sacrificial animals.
As a whole, the boosted-up native cattle production had been dominating the markets of sacrificial animals. In most of the cattle markets, the buyers were seen opting to purchase native animals.
By virtue of house-to-house cattle and goat farming everywhere, the region has become home of surplus sacrificial animals.
During the last couple of years, beef fattening activities have become vibrant everywhere in the area as the villagers look for lucrative profits ahead of the upcoming Eid-Ul-Azha.
This type of beef fattening everywhere in the region has been contributing a lot towards improving the living and livelihood conditions of the grassroots population through enriching animal resources for the last couple of decades.
The business has brightened the prospects of exporting beef to different areas within the country after meeting the local demands.
Moreover, the boosted native cattle production has significantly lessened the dependence on cattle imported from the neighboring country.
For the last couple of years, buyers were seen opting to purchase native animals in most of the cattle markets.
District Livestock Officer Dr Zulfikar Muhammad Akhter Hossain said that the local animal husbandry sector has marked a revolutionary boost in recent years bringing fortune to hundreds of people in the region.
He said many of the rural families have been rearing and fattening bulls commercially and earning huge profits every year.
Some of the poor and marginalised people including women have achieved tremendous success in the sector.
