Cattle markets in the capital officially opened yesterday but sales have not yet picked up, with buyers and sellers explaining the reason differently.
Traders said animal prices were higher than the previous year because of the rising costs of transport and cattle feed but customers claimed that the unavailability of Indian cattle is the reason why prices had gone up.
According to traders, they set the price of an animal depending on the approximate weight of its meat. They are asking for Tk40,000-45,000 for a tonne of meat while it was Tk30,000-35,000 last year.
Hasibul, a trader who came from Sirajganj to Gabtoli cattle market, told the Dhaka Tribune the demand for domestic animals rose because of the unavailability of Indian cows.
“Besides, prices of essential commodities, transport costs and cattle feed are increasing day by day, which is another reason why cattle prices have gone up. The price of each tonne of meat has seen an increase of around Tk10,000,” he said.
Several other traders said the same, adding that there was no possibility of prices falling before the Eid day.
But Mizanur Rahman, after bargaining a number of animals in Gabtoli market, said traders would reduce prices once Indian cows were brought to the market.
“Traders of course are asking for a higher price compared to the previous year,” he said.
Mizanur also said he would buy his sacrificial animal after two days because there were not enough animal in the market. “The equation is simple. Prices remain high when cattle markets open but then gradually fall as days pass.”
Saidur Rahman, a resident of Dhaka’s Shukrabad, said he purchased a cow for Tk117,000 that weighs around 2.5 tonnes.
He echoed the words of Mizanur, saying cattle prices are higher this year.
The supply of cattle from India fell in April after Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked his country’s border police to put a stop to cattle smuggling along the Bangladesh-India border.
Even though beef prices soared in Bangladesh after India’s Border Security Force stepped up border surveillance, Bangladeshi traders became optimistic, hoping that they would get better prices for Eid cattle this year.
But the inflow of cattle saw a dramatic increase in the past few days as the Indian government softened its stance.
Both sellers and customers agreed yesterday that sales were low as markets officially opened for the first day and also because it rained for a while in the morning.
Fisheries and Livestock Minister Muhammed Sayedul Hoque on Thursday said there would be no shortage of cattle in this Eid as traders were ready to sell four million cows and 6.9 million goats.
He also said veterinary teams would check cattle in 494 markets across the country to ensure safe meat for buyers.
