Even though Eid-ul-Azha is only a few days away, frequent spells of rain have been reportedly keeping buyers away from the muddy market grounds.
City dwellers who have visited the cattle markets since they started on Saturday also told the Dhaka Tribune that this year the cattle traders were asking for exorbitant prices for the animals.
Visiting different cattle markets yesterday, the Dhaka Tribune found that most of the locations were muddy from the rain. The prospective buyers had a hard time moving throughout the markets, while the sellers also faced a challenge in dealing with their cattle as well as arranging for their own accommodation.
Nojibur, a cattle breeder from Natore, said: “Comparatively, the customer turnout is lower than the previous year; so, sales have not been good. The continuous rain has also been another challenge for us.
“I came to the market with 18 cows yesterday [Sunday], but not a single one has been sold yet,” he told this reporter at the cattle market near Kuril-Purbachal.
Several traders at Postagola Shashanghat cattle market also expressed their dissatisfaction regarding rain and the low presence of customers.
Cattle traders, however, admitted that prices were higher than last year.
“Livestock prices are higher because of an increase in [political] violence and the price hike for animal feed,” said Labu Miah, who has come to the city to sell his cattle.
The Dhaka Tribune also found that cattle from India were also widespread in the market; the prices of these cattle were less than the local livestock.
Meanwhile, buyers said the turnout has been low so far as the cattle market had started earlier than usual.
“I will go to the market on Wednesday to purchase a cow. We will buy it late to avoid the hassle of taking care of the animal in the house,” said Fahim Ahmed, a resident of Uttara told the Dhaka Tribune.
