Sales of sacrificial animals online have seen a substantial decline in the country during this Eid-ul-Azha, according to the government data.
Data of Aspire to Innovate (a2i), a programme of the government's ICT Division - supported by Cabinet Division, reveals that a total of 38,641 animals were sold from the government's 'Digital Haat' (www.digitalhaat.net) - an online market platform - until July 8.
Cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep worth Tk 3.55 billion have been sold so far, its data showed.
On July 3, the government launched the countrywide 'Digital Haat' to facilitate online sales of sacrificial animals for the Eid-ul-Azha.
Stakeholders said panic about the coronavirus pandemic is no longer the same now, as it was in the past two years. With lower coronavirus infection this year, people are not that interested in online livestock markets.
Where there are opportunities, buyers want to buy animals from farms or markets. So, the online platforms are getting poor response than the last two years, they pointed out.
In 2020, 'Digital Haat', the first online platform for sacrificial animals in Bangladesh, was launched for the first time to curb spreading coronavirus infection.
Sales of animals through the online platform increased fourfold to over 387,000 in last Eid (2021), the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock data showed.
Cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep worth Tk 27.351 billion were sold reportedly via the online platform on July 2-20, 2021.
Adnan Faisal, communications and outreach consultant of a2i, told the FE that the platform is now receiving less response than the previous years.
Citing data of e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB), he said as many as 387,000 cows, goats and other animals with a market value of some Tk 25 billion were sold through the online market last year.
Although the sales are low, the platform is still working to connect people with the animal market, he added.
Md Abdul Wahed Tomal, general secretary of e-CAB, said the e-commerce platforms have got lower response from the customers this year compared to the past two years.
Their sales have declined mainly due to scattered sales by farmers and traders as well as substantially decreased risks of Covid-19.
The government should run 'Digital Haat' throughout the year, he added.
Md Shah Imran, secretary of Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association, said the sacrificial cattle are costly online and people now prefer to buy animals from traditional markets.
The online platforms should increase their trust and reliability to attract more customers.
He hoped that sales in online and traditional markets would increase on July 8-9.
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