-Increased food prices affected the price
- Demand for small and medium cows is high
-Booking at the farm for slightly lower prices
The buying and selling of sacrificial animals has started in the capital. The price of animals is higher than last year. The increase in the cost of cow feed affects the price of cows. So both the buyer and seller are in trouble. Sellers said their profits are shrinking and buyers are showing interest in small and medium cows.
It should be noted that this year the holy Eid-ul-Azha may be held on June 17. As such, there are still 25 days left for Eid. More than 1 crore animals are sacrificed in Bangladesh on Eid-ul-Azha. It was found out from various farms in the capital that many buyers are booking animals for sacrifice in advance. Some farmers claim that almost half of their cows have already been sold or booked. Farmers blame the ongoing high inflation for this. Beef is now being sold at Tk 750 to Tk 800 per kg in the Dhaka meat market.
Those concerned said that many people are booking cows on the farm as they can get a little less if they can buy sacrificial animals in advance. Many people buy sacrificial animals in advance because they don't want to go to the market again to buy cows. Some buyers are also expressing demand to buy cows online. When purchasing cattle from the farm or online, buyers usually determine the price of the live animal by 'live weight'.
Roman Sharif, owner of Apple Agro in Keraniganj, said that this time he reared 70 cows for sacrifice, of which 30 have already been sold. The cows we have now are priced between Tk 3 lakh and Tk 12 lakh. Low priced cows have already been sold. However, the price of beef could not be increased as the price of beef feed increased. It has reduced profits.
Md Samrat Mia, who is in charge of looking after Gafur Agro in the capital, said, we had more than hundred bulls in our farm. Almost half of the cows have already been sold. The farm has cows worth up to five lakh rupees. And the minimum is two and a half lakh taka cows. Hopefully, the sales will be good this Eid. The sale has already started. Already half of our cows are sold or booked. I hope the rest will be finished before Eid. Sacrificial animals worth Tk crores are sold every Eid, this year will be the same.
Cow farmer Md Azmir Hossain said, the price seems to be a little higher this Eid. The cow which was sold for Tk 4 lakh last Eid, will need Tk 20 to Tk 30 thousand more to buy it this time. However, the price may come down again in the end. If cows start arriving from India at the end, then the prices may fall abnormally. If something like that happens, the domestic traders may fall into losses.
He said, the price of beef feed has increased a lot compared to a year ago. We have 54 cows in this farm. We have mixed food for them for four days, which cost about Tk one lakh. There is a mixture of different types of food including raw grass, paddy husks, two types of husks, chickpeas and lentils.
Cow farmers said that the price of sacrificial animals will be higher this time.The production costs have increased. Increase in cost of production will reduce their profit margin. However, no one will sell cows at a loss. Buyers can buy a little less if they buy now. They would not sell the animals at the Qurbani market unless they get the expected price. In that case, buyers will have to buy at an additional price.
Mohammad Salehin, the buyer of the sacrificial animals of Khilgaon in the capital, said that last year I sacrificed both cows and goats. This year the price of sacrificial animals is high, the price of daily necessities is high. Income has not increased in line with expenditure. So this year, I am planning to sacrifice a goat. Some buyers also thinking like Salehin’s plan.
Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association (BDFA) said that more than 18,000 members of the organization across the country have at least 10 cows each. Many farms have hundreds of animals. The leaders of the organization are claiming that there will not be a shortage of cows in the market with the amount of cows that are stocked now.
General Secretary of BDFA Shah Imran said that the sale of cows is getting a good response. Every year, online-based livestock trading outside of the traditional markets becomes crowded. The online market for sacrificial animals started to grow mainly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This time also the businessmen are selling through online. But mainly the buyers of the city use online to buy cows. And village sacrificers still depend on the traditional cow market.
E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (E-CAB) General Secretary Nasima Akhter said preparations have been made to increase online sales. Many buyers prefer it because it is less hassle.' She, however, feels that online sales of cows and other sacrificial animals will pick up just before Eid.
According to the sources of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, more than 1 crore 30 lakh animals are ready for sacrifice this year. And the demand in the country is like 1 crore 10 lakh. In other words, there are 20 lakh animals more than the demand.
Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (Livestock-2 Division) ATM Mustafa Kamal said in an interview with a national daily that there will be strict vigilance to ensure that animals do not cross the border on the occasion of sacrifice. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)will take action if someone wants to bring animals illegally.
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