Cattle sales yet to pick up

Though Eid-ul-Azha is just a few days away, sale of sacrificial animals at cattle markets in Sylhet is yet to get momentum.

According to traders, the markets are drawing potential buyers every day, but compared to previous years, sales are not up to expectation.

While visiting several markets -- both permanent and makeshift -- in the city and its surrounding areas yesterday, this correspondent saw that there were insufficient numbers of cattle as well as a handful of buyers present.

One Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury was seen bargaining with a trader at Kazirbazar cattle market yesterday morning. “Compared to previous years, prices are high… also, there are not many cattle in the market. Hopefully, the prices will drop soon.”

Shahadat Hossain Lulon, manager of the market, alleged, “There are quite a few illegal markets on the way to Kazirbazar, which is creating a problem for traders. People behind those markets are forcing traders to sell cattle there.”

“For this, buyers get affected too as the prices go up due to a shortage of cattle in the permitted markets,” he said.

However, traders are still optimistic that sales would pick up before the Eid day, while buyers hope prices of animals would decrease.

At markets, bulls range from Tk 40,000 to Tk 5 lakh while goats from Tk 5,000 to Tk 50,000.

 Though cattle from other countries, particularly India, used to dominate Eid markets before, this year, local cattle are ruling the market, according to traders.

Meanwhile, Abu Nayeem, managing partner of Surma Cattle Farm in Khadimnagar area, told The Daily Star that people are eager to buy cattle from the farm to avoid hassle. “We are selling cows ranging from Tk 50,000 to Tk 3 lakh. We will send the remaining cattle to the markets soon,” he said.

According to the Department of Livestock  Services in Sylhet, 401,000 cattle were sold in Sylhet division last year.  Dr Gias Uddin, deputy director of the department, said, “Around 336,000 cattle have been raised at 36,612 farms in the division. These cattle along with the ones from other parts of the country will enter the Sylhet market to meet the demand.”

He said the department has deployed teams at the markets to check animal health since many smuggled Indian cattle, suffering from foot and mouth disease, had entered Sylhet already.