Cattle markets see big crowds

With Eid-ul-Azha just a day away, the cattle markets in the capital witnessed heavy crowds of potential buyers at the weekend on Friday.

There had been more visitors than buyers in the markets in the last few days, cattle traders said. But on Friday, they said they were expecting more sales, which would continue till Saturday (today).

Both buyers and sellers spent a busy time in the markets. However, no one seemed to maintain hygiene protocols amid rising Covid-19 cases.

Shahjahanpur cattle market lessee Abdul Latif told The Business Post a huge number of sacrificial animals had arrived in Dhaka from different parts of the country.

He said the number of potential buyers arriving at the Shahjahanpur market increased after the Jummah prayers.

Sellers had already sold many cows and more sacrificial animals were arriving, he said, expressing hope that sales would rise further in the evening.

Rahim Bepari came to the Shahjahanpur market from Manikganj with six cows. Of them, he reared two himself and bought the remaining four. He said he had already sold four cows after giving some discounts.

Another trader Shah Alam said cows weighing between four to five maunds and priced between Tk 90,000 and Tk 1.5 lakh had the highest demand among buyers.

He said the demand for medium-sized goats was high as well.

Atiqul Islam, a resident of Bailey Road, said he had bought a caw for around Tk 1.05 lakh. He said prices went down slightly on Friday compared to the past few days. He thinks buyers can now afford cows as prices have fallen. There was an adequate supply of local cows and goats at the cattle markets in Shahjahanpur and Kamalapur, traders said.

Shah Jalal, one of the representatives of the Kamalapur-Gopibagh-Mugda cattle market, said cow sales had increased since the Jummah prayers. “All the animals will hopefully be sold before Eid day.”

Banker Abu Taher Mridha said he had bought a cow weighing around five to six maunds for Tk 1.3 lakh from the Kamalapur market.

Several buyers, including Taher, said Dhaka dwellers usually buy cattle just a day or two before Eid as they do not have enough space to keep them and that is why buyers thronged the markets on Friday.

There are 22 cattle markets, including in Gabtoli and Sarulia, in areas under the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) this year. Of them, 12 are under DSCC and 10 are under DNCC.

Twenty-two veterinary teams have been deployed in the cattle markets under DNCC and DSCC, said the fisheries and livestock ministry in a press release on Thursday.

Under the direction of the Department of Livestock Services, these medical teams are working to prevent the sales of ill and unsuitable cattle.

On the other hand, 12 teams of the Department of Livestock Services will monitor the cattle markets in Dhaka. Additional law enforcement officials have also been deployed in the markets to ensure security for both sellers and buyers.

Rapid Action Battalion’s (RAB) Legal and Media Wing Director Khandaker Al Moin said, “We will take action according to the law if any evidence of fattening drugs is found in any animal.”

He said the teams had already completed all security preparations for Eid.

“Every RAB unit is fully prepared to deal with any security situation that could arise in Dhaka, which has become almost empty as people have travelled to their hometowns to celebrate Eid with their families.”