RAJSHAHI, Aug 05: As the Eid-ul-Azha is approaching fast, sales in markets of sacrificial animals in the district are gearing up.
A big number of sacrificial animals including bulls, goats and sheep have been brought to the cattle markets for sale. Those markets are likely to be crowded with a large number of buyers as soon as the Eid holiday starts at the weekend.
According to the animal resources department of Rajshahi district, the number of demand for sacrificial animals of the district is 404,500 during the current year.
There are a total of 17,700 cattle farms in the district. In 2018, a total of 3,96,519 cattle heads were sacrificed in the district out of which 2,981 were calves, 71,256 bulls, 745 buffaloes, 317,694 goats and 3,843 sheep.
It is learnt, till now there are 3,69,574 cattle heads in the farms and cow-sheds in the district of which 6,018 are calves, 71,831 bulls, 2,675 buffaloes, 274,075 goats and 13,675 sheep and 1,136 other animals.
Milon Hossain, a cattle trader at Baneswar Haat, said with the approaching of the Eid, the activities of cattle traders have also been increased.
The cattle traders on the Bidirpur Haat said earlier a huge number of cattle heads used to enter the country from India but now they are having sufficient local bred and locally reared cattle heads, the demand for Indian cattle head has decreased.
A huge number of locally bred cattle heads were seen brought for sale at Rajshahi city Haat, Banewar Haat, Rustompur Haat, Chandipur Haat, Bidirpur Haat and Mohisalbari Haat of the district.
He expressed the view that there will be no need of smuggled calves and bulls from India during Eid market but there is a huge demand for buffaloes in Chattogram, Sylhet and Dhaka.
A good number of bulls and buffaloes are being smuggled in from India through various frontiers of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts.
Our Sylhet Correspondent says: Sales in the cattle markets are yet to pick up although traders have brought a good number of cattle head to the cattle markets in different areas of the region.
Most of the people would prefer buying cattle heads for sacrificial purposes just a day or two before the Eid-ul-Azha, a number of people and traders said.
However, in some of the villages the scene is a little bit different. A good number of people there try to buy cattle heads days ahead of the festival.
Meanwhile, people prefer local cattle head than the imported ones from Indian borders, a number of people said. Supply from different districts and rural areas are also much more than the previous years, market sources informed on Sunday.
Same is the opinion of the officials and traders.
An official told this correspondent the local stock is a little better this year as there had been a jump in the country's production during the last one year. The number of cattle farms has increased recently.
According to a recent statistics prepared by the Livestock Department, there are more than 50,0000 cows and goats in the region.
In 35,665 cattle firms, both small and large ones in Sylhet division, there are 202,902 bullocks while the farmers' stock is more than 300,000, fit to be sacrificed.
Besides, generally the region gets a supply of the sacrificial animals from big cattle farm owners and traders from other districts like greater Rajshahi, Jashore and Faridpur, sources added.
During the last year, 4,26,884 animals in total were sacrificed in four districts of Sylhet division while it may be about 4,30,000 this year, he added.
Even if the Indian cows won't be available in the local market, there would be no shortage of sacrificial animals this year, the official added.
