Sellers at the Eid cattle market in Dhaka have been buoyed by the flow of early buyers and are expecting to make a profit after two years of losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The sellers are confident that a recent uptick in Covid-19 cases will not discourage buyers.
The market is expected to start selling cattle at full flow from tomorrow, but many buyers have already paid casual visits to get an idea of prices.
Hoping to recover losses
“I am hoping that I don't have to go back with a heavy heart and the burden of immense losses. Considering the current situation of the market and the flow of buyers, I think this year the cattle market traders will enjoy profits,” said Shahadat Mia, a cattle trader.
Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune
Abul Hasan, manager of the leaseholding facility in the Gabtoli cattle market, said: “In the last two years, the traders faced great losses. From looking at the current number of enthusiastic buyers, I don’t think anyone will have to return home with unsold cattle. They may be able to recover the losses from the pandemic.”
At the time of writing this report, there were around 6,000 cattle at the Gabtoli cattle market.
The market is expected to hold 16,000 cattle on 17 acres during the peak of the sales period.
Many potential buyers were seen moving around in the market to get a picture of the price range and cattle quality.
“We have come to see the market rate to decide the budget for this year. We will buy the cattle after tomorrow because space scarcity in Dhaka city will make it difficult to keep the cattle at home,” said Hasnat, a university student who was in the market on behalf of his father.
Sellers have said the price of the cattle depends on many issues, such as the cost of nurturing them for years, daily food, and the accommodation cost at the market.
Mohammad Phasan has to spend Tk2,000 to feed his three cows. On the other hand, Kairul from Jhenaidah spends Tk800 on cattle feed for a single giant Friesian-cross cow and a local cow.
Sellers paying storage cost?
Some sellers claimed they were being made to pay a sum for each cow that they were storing at the market.
Khairul, a farmer by profession, said that will have to pay around Tk12,000 for two cows.
Another seller said he will have to pay Tk28,000 for storing 11 cows, and the amount was not dependent on how long the cows stayed at the market.
Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune
“Even if I sell off all my cattle tomorrow, I will have to pay the full amount,” the seller added.
Abul Hasan, dismissed claims of any extra charges on sellers and said: “The buyers pay a commission to us on purchasing the cattle. We don’t take any money from sellers.”
He added that the owners of some of the larger cattle need some special facilities, such as air conditioning, and they were arranging these facilities at their own cost and initiative.
Middle size cattle in high demand
Sellers believe middle-sized cattle will be in the highest demand as it is the most affordable.
Mid-sized cattle will be priced from Tk1.6 lakhs to Tk3 lakhs, while larger cattle will range from Tk6-24 lakhs.
Shahidul Alam said: “ I always prefer selling middle size cows. The sale rate of larger cattle is lower than the middle size. The big ones are only for show, I guess.”
Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune
Nur Hossain has been selling cattle during Eid for many years. Last year, he brought three large cows but could sell only one, which resulted in net losses of about Tk6 lakh.
“Last year, I couldn’t sell two of my biggest cows named Banglar Chita Bagh and Bangla Bagh Tiger. This year I have neither the wish nor the advantage. No matter what, I have to sell them because I wouldn't be able to bear the loss this year,” he said
Many other sellers also said they were avoiding larger cattle as failing to sell all their cattle for a third year in a row would be catastrophic.
