A festive mood looks across Khulna city centring the Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festivals of the Muslim community which is expected to be held on July 10, as cattle farmers started to display their animals at markets.
Sources said the concerned authorities have already begun to set up makeshift markets for displaying animals in different areas of Khulna. However, sale of cattle at makeshift markets Jhoragate and Fulbarigate Balurmath, two largest makeshift markets, will begin from July 03.
On the other hand, sale and buy at some outside areas of Khulna namely Satkhira, Tala, Atharomile, Chuknagar, Shahpur, Jiyala, Anduli have already started.
Talking to buyers and sellers, this correspondent found that demand by customers for local cows in small and medium size is so high.
Customers are reluctant to buy large cows, bringing allegations against the farmers that they have been farming foreign-species cows by feeding medicine for bagging much profit within a short time; he said referring to the customers.
Contacted, several cattle farmers of Andulia Shahapur of Dumuria zone, they said the demand for local sacrificial animals increased several times in the last few years due to the halt in import of Indian animals through borders.
Besides, the government has taken several initiatives and given opportunities to the cattle farmers in a bid to increase production of animals at root-level, they said.
The farmers informed that many people are getting involved in cattle farming especially for sacrificial animals due to high demand for local cattle.
Farmer Rabiul Islam told the UNB that buyers from different parts of Khulna started visiting his farm ahead of the eid every day.
He, however, observed that the buyers are levelling a lower price compared to the market value. The price of cattle-feed is so high compared to any previous time.
Seller Abdur Rahim hailing from Andulia area said that he brought three cows in medium size while buyers were pricing low compared to the market.
He said they invested a good amount of money for rearing cattle as price of cattle-feed including hay and others.
“Our labour will go in vain if we don’t get a reasonable price by selling the cattle”, he said.
On the other hand, buyer Hafizul Islam said that it will be tough for him to buy a cow alone as the market value of the sacrificial animals is so high compared to the last year.
He claimed that a seller is asking Tk 140,000 for a cow of the size that was sold at Tk 1 lakh last year.
Traders charge high price compared to the market as they display cattle as middleman after buying from villages, he alleged.