Dhaka is buzzing with cattle markets ahead of Eid-ul-Azha on Monday.
Mostly, men come from different parts of the country to sell their homegrown or purchased cattle in Dhaka. However, Kamrunnahar Begum is an exception.
Kamrunnahar, a female cattle owner from Durgapur, Rajshahi came to Hazaribagh cattle market to sell two of her cattle.
Bangladesh all set to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha on MondayOne of the cattle, named Shahenshah, is already sold with a price tag of Tk2,70,000. She expects the other will be sold as well.
Sellers who raised their cattle themselves are getting hard to find now. Most of the sellers purchased cattle from growers two-three months before Eid.
Both the cattle that Kamrunnahar brought to Hazaribagh market were born and raised at her home.
When asked Kamrunnahar said she felt a deep pain inside after selling Shahenshah. Despite that, her professionalism kept her apart from crying, as this was not her first experience of selling cattle. Till now, she sold 14 cows in the last 25 years.
This is her first time in Dhaka to sell cattle. Earlier, she sold cattle at Baneshawar market in Rajshahi.
Cattle supplies normal but prices are exorbitantShe said: “People used to buy cattle directly from my home. I came to Dhaka expecting a better price.”
The journey of her farming cattle started 25 years ago when her child was eight months of age. She purchased one goat from a neighbour. Years later, it turned into 12 goats. At one point, she had so many calves that they were not getting enough milk. She started asking her neighbours if they had milk to sell. Her neighbour did not have extra milk to sell but offered her a calf for Tk4,000. She sold all her goats keeping one.
That calf matured and gave birth to 12 calves over the years. Her last sell in Dhaka, Shahehshah, is a calf of her first cow. She said: “That cow is still with me, and she is pregnant for three months.”
“I do not take any milk from a calf. I feel they should have all the milk that their mother produces,” said her.
She added: “I don’t even tie my calves before the age of six months.”
Going digital with Eid cattle marketsTo feed her cattle, Kamrunnahar purchases Napier grass seedlings during May and June and plants to feed her cattle.
Upon asking, she said that she does not spend much to feed her cattle as they have a good diet upon grazing. She spent around Tk20,000-30,000 on feeding the cattle during last Eid-ul-Azha.
Remembering Shahenshah, she said: “He behaves well than many human children. He follows all my instructions. If I tell him to eat, he eats.”
Her other cattle, Kalu, is the exact opposite of Shahenshah. He is not gentle at all, wastes food, and disturbs her. Asking price of Kalu is set at Tk200,000. However, she will sell him if someone offers at least Tk170,000. “I need to go home, I have my other livestock there,” she added.
As she is in Dhaka now, her mother and brother are taking care of the livestock. Kamrunnahar purchased 3 bhoris (35 grams) of gold jewellery and 12 kathas of land by selling livestock. Besides cattle, she has hens, ducks, and geese.
She expressed her passion for animals, adding: “Allah brought me here (successful) because she loves them. Nothing gets wasted in my house. I even sell cow dung by drying them up.”
Kamrunnahar received training from the Livestock and Dairy Development Project (LDDP) under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. She believes farming cattle can help women to achieve financial independence.
“I think it is a very profitable business if someone knows how to do the trade,” she said.
