With Eid-ul-Azha due Thursday, the last day of trading is underway at the capital's cattle markets.
However, last-minute adverse weather, continuous rain and a decrease in buyers on Wednesday have many cattle traders worried.
Traders who have come to the capital's Dholaikhal cattle market from different districts of the country with investments worth crores of taka are now fearing losses.
A visit to the capital's Dholaikhal cattle market on Wednesday (May 27) showed that although there are thousands of cows across the market, the presence of buyers is comparatively low.
Many traders are trying to save the animals from the rain by pulling a tarpaulin next to the cows. Some are staying up all night guarding the cows.
Natore businessman Shahidul Islam brought 21 cows to the Dholaikhal cattle market three days ago. He has been involved in the cattle market for about 15 years.
This time, he invested around Tk1 crore. Although he has been selling cows at various cattle markets in the capital for a long time, he is disappointed with the situation this time.
Sitting under a tarpaulin in a corner of the market, Shahidul said: "I brought 21 cows. Three are still to be sold, the rest have been sold. But the price of cows has decreased since last night. Due to the rain, there are also fewer buyers. We hope that the sale will increase when the rain subsides."
He further said that the expenses including cow transportation, food, labour, and market expenses have increased a lot. Even then, the profit is decreasing as the desired price is not being obtained.
Rajib Matbar from Saltha upazila of Faridpur has also brought 20 cows to the same market. His investment is about Tk80-90 lakh. He has done this business with loans from various banks. However, the market situation has been disappointing him lately.
He also said: "Customers have decreased due to the rain and adverse weather. Out of 20 cows, 11 have been sold. The price of the cow that was yesterday is being sold at a price of Tk40,000 to Tk50,000 today. This will be a big loss.’
“I haven’t slept properly for a few days. I have to stay at the market with the cow. I have brought a few people with me. I eat and sleep at the market. Now I just want the cows to be sold at a good price.”
Sharif Hossain, a farmer from Sholla area of Nawabganj, Dhaka, also expressed similar concerns.
Along with other businesses, he has set up a cattle farm in his house. He has invested about a crore taka there. He has been raising cows all year round, focusing on Eid al-Azha.
This time he has brought seven cows to Dholaikhal market. Of these, only two have been sold.
Hossain said: “We thought all the cows would be sold quickly this time. But due to the rain, there are very few customers. People are not able to come to the market. However, I hope that sales will increase if the weather improves.”
Talking to some buyers who came to the market, it was learned that many people want to buy cows at the last minute.
Also, due to continuous rain, many are not able to come to the market with their families. As a result, the pace of sales has slowed down.
Meanwhile, traders say that the cost of food, transportation, and labour for sacrificial animals has increased significantly compared to before.
On top of that, they are under pressure because the price of cows has decreased at the last minute.
Some traders at Dholaikhal market said that although they were optimistic until the night before Eid, if the weather conditions are not normal, many may have to sell cows at a lower price. They fear a huge loss due to this.