Online sales of cattle gain pace

The sales of sacrificial animals on digital platforms ahead of Eid-ul-Azha was slowly gathering pace as the government reduced the number of makeshift cattle markets across the country in a bid to curb Covid-19 infection.
“This year, we aim to sell 25 per cent of the total sacrificial animals through digital platforms,” Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim said in a programme this week. The ministry on Tuesday said that between July 1 and July 13 some 1.84 lakh cattle worth around Tk 1,328 crore were sold through online platforms.
The government this year verified a total of 241 digital markets on different platforms to allow both sellers and buyers to interact and trade sacrificial animals while avoiding physical contact.
The Information and Communication Technology Division said on Tuesday farmers had listed 1.5 lakh cattle for sale between July 4 and July 10 in Digital Haat under the supervision of Dhaka North City Corporation. Already, 14,000 of them have been sold.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock data showed there is a demand of 1.19 crore sacrificial animals for Eid-ul-Azha this year.
The ministry allowed the setting up of only around 2,400 traditional cattle markets across the country from July 17 ahead of the festival.
With Eid-ul-Azha scheduled to be celebrated in the country on July 21, traders said it would not be possible to sell all the sacrificial animals in physical markets only in five days and they need to rely on online platforms to reach out to the buyers.
The online cattle markets started to become popular last year when Eid-ul-Azha was celebrated amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jahangir Alam, general manager of the e-commerce Association of Bangladesh, a total of 27,000 sacrificial animals were sold online last year and some 90,000 cows were sold after buyers directly contacted the seller upon viewing the animal online.
Apart from buying sacrificial animals, online buyers also find a wide range of facilities that are not readily available in physical cattle markets, said the e-cab officials.
After purchasing cattle, the buyer can also book a butcher and donate their cowhide on the same platform, they said. Some platforms also offered additional services, including the delivery of sacrificial meat using refrigerated vehicles.