Bleak sales wither away cattle traders' Eid
Dwindling demand and increased rearing expenses came down hard on them
Cattle traders in Gabtoli and other cattle markets scattered across the capital reportedly faced losses in selling their animals as Eid-ul-Adha being observed Wednesday.
Dwindling demand and increased rearing expenses came down hard on the traders who travelled to the capital hoping to see a profit.
Coming from as far as Chuadanga with seven cattle, one Habibur Rahman told The Business Standard he had sold each of his cows at a loss of Tk10,000-15,000.
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"I'm yet to find a buyer for the last cow I have with me," he said.
Similar to Habibur, many traders coming from near and far claimed that there were little to no profit in selling sacrificial animals this year.
For smaller animals like goats, the buyers on average were paying 20-30% less price.
The traders said they had no other choice but to sell at those prices to mitigate their rearing costs.
Another trader from Chuadanga, Israfil, had come to the capital with seven cows bought at Tk9 lakh but ended up selling them at Tk7 lakh. He reportedly sold three of his cows on Eid day.
"I had taken loans to buy these animals. I sold a cow bought at Tk1.3 lakh at Tk1.1 lakh. This is because returning them home will only increase my expenses," he told The Business Standard.
Matiar Rahman, owner of Basar Dairy Farm in Jibannagar of Chuadanga had brought 42 cows to Gabtoli loaning around Tk1 crore.
He told The Business Standard that he had sold only one cow. "That too at a loss for paying the labourers," he added.
He has decided to take back the cows to the farm to avoid further losses.
"If I had sold the cows there would have been a loss of Tk 1.5 to 2 lakh per cow. I would have lost Tk80 lakh while returning them to the farm would cost me Tk3 lakh. So I'm taking the cows back to see if I can sell later," he told The Business Standard.
Another trader, Hannan Mondol, came to Gabtoli with 14 cows from Pabna but managed to sell only two.
"Each of my cows has been bought at Tk1.5 lakh whereas buyers are willing to pay Tk1.2 lakh. I only sold two smaller sized cows and returning the rest," he said adding that he will face a loss of Tk10,000 for each unsold cow.
A large number of animals remained unsold at the Gabtoli cattle market.
A volunteer working there, Ashik, said about 500 trucks full of unsold cattle left the market last night.
"We are now short of vehicles to send these animals back," he added.
In different parts of the capital, most of the sacrifices are taking place in alleys against the advice of the city corporation authorities.
Buyers of sacrificial animals were seen slaughtering within the premises of their colonies or houses.
The first Eid Jamaat was held at Baitul Mukarram Mosque at 8 am today. National Eidgah Maidan did not host Eid Jamaat for the second year due to increased Covid-19 infections.
