With barely three-four days left for Eid-ul-Azha, cattle farmer Azizul Haque is a bit worried. The reason -- he has not been able to naturally fatten the four bulls he has been rearing since last October.
Like him, many small-time farmers in Bangladesh have been struggling to feed their cattle properly since March 2022 as retail inflation has taken a toll on fodder. And most of them are yet to fix a good asking price for the sacrificial animals.
These farmers say that the prices of staple cattle feed such as wheat bran, rice bran, oil cake, maize, Indian peas and molasses have all increased two to three-fold of late.
"I may not be able to cash on the growing demand for meat this Eid. This is because I could not spend much on fodder to naturally fatten my bulls ahead of Eid. Retail inflation is really pinching," said Azizul.
For instance, the price of maize has doubled in the past year -- from Tk17-18 per kg in 2021 to Tk33-34 per kg this year. Similarly, wheat bran now costs Tk60 per kg, up by 100% from last year's price.
Khail (oil cake) was available for Tk32 a kg and Indian peas for Tk34-36 per kg in 2021. This year, Khail is being sold at Tk50 per kg and Indian pea at Tk55-60 per kg.
Vai Vai Cattle Farm in Mymensingh which rears almost 200 to 300 cattle every Eid has been hit by the rising fodder prices too.
"People will also have to spend more money on buying sacrificial animals. Each animal will cost almost Tk5,000 to TK10,000 more this Eid. Quality cattle will really be a costly deal for potential customers," said owner Milon Hossain.
"Many farmers who own two or three bulls have already sold their cattle to our farm," he added.
"People who plan to buy a sacrificial animal this Eid will have to hike their budget this year as compared to last year," said Alamin Hossain, manager of Bushara Organic Agro Farm, a venture of Prome Agro.
According to the Feed Industries Association of Bangladesh, the annual demand for animal feed here is around 6.4 million tonnes – poultry 60%, fish 25% and cattle feed 15%.
The prices of these products have been rising for more than a year now. Moreover, transportation costs have also increased, as per the association.
There are around 12.1 million animals suitable for sacrifice in the country, against the demand of 97,75,000. But there is a shortage of 15,37,000 animals in the Dhaka division, 22,000 in Chittagong, and 2,00,000 in Sylhet.
On the other hand, there is a surplus of 2.5 million sacrificial cattle in the Rajshahi division, 4,78,000 in Khulna, 1,76,000 lakh in Barisal, 7,67,000 in Rangpur, and 1,84,000 in Mymensingh as compared to demand.
On Eid-ul-Azha, more than 10 million animals, including cows, buffaloes and goats, are usually sacrificed in the country. But the number of animal sacrifices has been declining since the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Department of Livestock, over 10 million animals were sacrificed in the country in 2019. The following year, 94,00,000 animals were sacrificed. Last year, the figure dropped further.
This year, a total of 4,407 Eid cattle markets will be set up across the country. Ten cattle markets will be set up in the Dhaka North City Corporation area and 12 in the Dhaka South City Corporation area.