Livestock farmers thanked the government for the initiative to ensure good prices for local cattle as the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) said there are more than enough locally-reared sacrificial animals to meet the demand.
Twenty-five makeshift cattle markets are there in the capital, which are flooded with local cattle. Most of them were brought from other parts of the country. But the sale is expected to pick up the pace on Saturday as the Eid is scheduled to be celebrated on Monday.
“We hope to have a good sale between Saturday and Sunday night,” Babul Mia, a cattle trader at Nayabazar, told UNB.
Babul said he buys cattle from farmers six or seven months before Eid and brings those to Dhaka. This time, he brought 40 cattle from Madaripur’s Shibchar and already sold three for Tk 4.21 lakh.
“I hope the rest can be sold for better profits,” he said.
Azizul Islam brought five oxen from Chuadanga to Dolaikhal and hoped each of them will fetch at least Tk 2.5 lakh. “The price is high because we bought them at villages and spent a whole lot of money to take care of them,” he said.
According to DLS, cattle farms and farmers are supplying 1,17,88,563 sacrificial animals against a demand of 1,10,00,000 during this Eid.
Imran Bepari, a dairy farmer from Shariatpur, told UNB that he has already sold 82 cattle in his village and brought 18 more to Dhupkhola two days ago. He said he was optimistic that each cattle would be sold at over Tk 2 lakh.
“We take care of the cattle properly. So, we don’t need to use medicine for fattening,” he said.
Mokter Hossain, a trader from Pabna, said the cost for rearing cattle has gone up with an increase in prices of fodder, medicine, and vehicle fare. “The truck fare is Tk 8,000-10,000 more than last year’s. So, we’ve to sell cattle at high prices,” he said.
Hasibul Islam, a resident of Old Dhaka, said the price was high but customers were happy to see an abundance of local cattle.
Dr Farjana Jahan told UNB that 26 medical teams are working at cattle markets in Dhaka to monitor the physical condition of the animals.
“Some of the cattle brought from outside the capital had fallen sick,” she said. “We’re providing free medicines from DLS.”