Deputy Commissioner Md Kamal Hossain confirmed the hold on import from Myanmar.
The fear is that catering to the added demand caused by the huge influx of Rohingyas put the market under pressure.
Sacrificial animals are being imported from Myanmar every year. The local people of Cox’s Bazar used to slaughter them during Eid-ul-Azha alongside the cattle heads of local farmers. However, at that time there was no pressure of the Rohingyas.
On August 25, 2017, influx of the Rohingyas began but in that year there was not much pressure. In 2018, a huge number of Rohingya people offered ‘qurbani’. However, last year some 18,000 cattle were imported from Myanmar and so there was no sacrificial animal crisis in the whole district including Teknaf and Ukhiya.
This year, no sacrificial animal came from Myanmar through Teknaf corridor from August 3-5 due to inclement weather. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Md Kamal Hossain has imposed a ban on cattle import from Myanmar since Tuesday (August 6). In this regard, the Deputy Commissioner informed that import of cattle heads from Myanmar have been stopped to protect the local cattle market.
“Due to this, local farmers will be able to sell their cattle at fair price and moreover there will be brisk business of local variety of cattle heads,” he added.
Local farmers and farm owners would face loss if cattle heads come from Myanmar. So, cattle import from Myanmar has been stopped as per the government instruction to protect the local cattle market, said an official.
Meanwhile, after the information of the stoppage of import, the prices of cattle came up in the market. Selim Uddin, a cattle trader of Ukhiya, informed that the cattle farm owners have increased the price of their cattle because sacrificial animals did not come from Myanmar.
Local buyer Khalil Ullah purchased a cow from Ukhiya bazar. He informed that the prices of cattle this year were higher by about Tk 8,000-10,000. Fearing further price rise later, many are purchasing cattle ahead of time for Eid.
About 30,000-37,000 sacrificial animals would be needed to meet the demand for the local people and the Rohingyas. However, the local farm owners at Teknaf are able to supply around 10,000-12,000.
More 20,000-25,000 cattle heads will be needed to meet the demand. Of them, 12,717 have already been imported from Myanmar. As a result, there is a need of around 13,000 more sacrificial animals to meet the crisis at Teknaf. A shortage is feared in case the bar on import from Myanmar is not lifted. Capitalising on this, local dishonest farmers and cattle-traders might further raise the price of the cattle.
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner M Abul Kalam Azad informed that all arrangements have been made to ensure a better situation than last year for Rohingyas to offer ‘qurbani’. Sacrificial meat will be distributed to about 2,20,000 families in the refugee camps. Each family will be given at least 2kgs of meat.
Meanwhile, various NGOs have started the programme for distribution of the cattle heads among the Rohingyas. Besides, many Rohingya families will purchase cattle on their own to offer ‘qurbani’.
Teknaf Customs Officer M Moyez Uddin informed that before the stoppage of cattle import from Myanmar at the instruction of the Deputy Commissioner, a total of 12,717 cattle heads were imported. “Revenue of Tk 63.6 lakh was earned from the import. VAT of Tk 500 taka was realised for each cow/ buffalo while Tk 200 VAT was realised for each goat.”
Abdullah Monir, President of Teknaf Cow Trader Society and municipal councillor, informed that Myanmar cows were arriving at Teknaf through the corridor of Shahporir Dip.
Price of a 3-maund (1 maund= approx. 40 kgs) cow ranges from between Tk 65,000-70,000, a 4-maund one between Tk 80,000-85,000, while a 5-maund cow can go for upwards of Tk 1 lakh.
As the import stopped, the price of each cow rose by around Tk 5,000-10,000. At present, there are around 1,500 cattle heads at the corridor awaiting entry into Bangladesh.