Sacrificial Animals Selling at Throwaway Prices

With Eid-ul-Azha just hours away, many animals remain unsold at most cattle markets in the capital. Visits to the Gabtoli, Diabari, and Tejgaon markets on Wednesday evening revealed the same picture. Even the animals that are being sold are fetching low prices.

Traders are blaming the situation on continuous rainfall. Heavy intermittent rain over the past three days has left the cattle markets covered in knee-deep mud, reducing the number of buyers. Traders had expected sales to rise at the last moment, but that did not happen. Meanwhile, cattle and goats are also suffering from cold-related illnesses due to the rain, forcing some sellers to offload animals quickly at lower prices.

Kamrul Hasan, who brought cattle to the Tejgaon market, told Agamir Somoy that a large number of animals remained unsold this year because of oversupply. He said he sold eight cattle at a loss of Tk 30,000 each, amounting to a total loss of Tk 240,000. Another trader, who brought 15 cattle from Kushtia, managed to sell only seven. He was preparing to return home with the remaining eight animals. He said taking them back to the farm seemed more reasonable than selling them at a heavy loss.

Tejgaon market leaseholder Aminul Islam told Agamir Somoy that around 60 percent of the animals had been sold. He said he started allowing traders to leave with unsold animals after noon, adding that some traders had already moved their cattle to other markets before evening.

Asked whether sales had been poor, Aminul Islam said business had not been too bad this year. According to him, traders made good profits in the early days of the market. However, some traders delayed sales in hopes of making higher profits and are now being forced to return with unsold animals.

Animal sales were also strong at the Diabari market in the beginning. But now, animals are selling there at throwaway prices. A person associated with the market lease said traders made good profits during the first three days of trading. However, prices began falling toward the end due to adverse weather and sufficient animal supply. Rain, mud, and standing water have exhausted both buyers and animals, forcing traders to sell at lower prices.

Meanwhile, buyers arriving at the markets in the evening expressed satisfaction over the falling prices. Some buyers were seen purchasing medium-sized cattle for Tk 20,000 to Tk 50,000 less than earlier prices after bargaining. Masum Khan, a buyer from Rampura, told Agamir Somoy that cattle were now selling for Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 less per lakh compared to the previous few days.

Although prices have dropped at the last moment, some animals may still be sold on Eid day. This year, a total of 23 temporary cattle markets have been set up under Dhaka’s two city corporations, including 11 under Dhaka South City Corporation and 12 under Dhaka North City Corporation.