Cattle farmers and households in Chapainawabganj are busy tending sacrificial animals ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, with 226,050 animals prepared in the district this year.
According to the district livestock department, the animals include cows, goats, sheep and buffaloes. Against a local demand of 167,020 animals, the department estimated a surplus of 58,848.
Visits to different areas of the district showed farmers providing intensive care to animals at farms and homes.
Farmers said they were raising the animals naturally with nutritious feed, without using steroids or harmful substances. However, many expressed concern over rising production costs and uncertainty over profits due to higher animal feed prices.
They also urged the authorities to take effective measures to prevent the illegal entry of Indian cattle through the border, fearing it could affect local farmers.
Ashraful Alam Rashid, a farmer from Shibganj upazila, said prices of animal feed and related products had risen sharply in recent months.
“Feed that previously cost Tk40 now costs Tk60, while products sold for Tk20 are now priced at Tk30. It has become difficult to manage farms because of rising expenses,” he said.
Rashid said the livestock department was extending support, but farmers also needed interest-free loans and financial assistance.
“If the government provides subsidies, local farmers will be able to contribute more to meeting the country’s meat demand,” he said.
Rashid added that the illegal entry of Indian cattle could discourage local farmers from continuing livestock farming in the future.
Shariful Islam, a farmer from the Amanura area, said he had prepared 15 cows for Eid this year.
“No steroids or harmful injections were used to fatten the cattle. The cows were raised naturally with nutritious feed,” he said, expressing concern over rising feed prices.
Shariful said they hoped to receive fair prices if Indian cattle did not enter the country illegally.
Other farmers in the district echoed similar concerns, saying the country had sufficient sacrificial animals and stricter measures were needed to prevent illegal cattle entry across the border to protect local farmers.
Acting district livestock officer Dr Sharmin Akhter said the department was providing support to farmers.
“This year, around 30% more animals have been prepared in Chapainawabganj than the local demand,” she said, adding that the surplus would help meet demand in other districts as well.
Sharmin also said the government had taken necessary steps to prevent the illegal entry of Indian cattle through the border and expressed hope that local farmers would receive fair prices for their animals this Eid season.
