With Eid-ul-Azha only three days away, blacksmiths across Tangail are witnessing a sharp rise in demand for knives, cleavers, machetes and other tools used for Qurbani, forcing many workshops to operate day and night.
From slaughtering knives to meat-cutting tools, blacksmith shops in different parts of the district are now bustling with activity as craftsmen race to complete last-minute orders. Many customers are also bringing old knives, cleavers and machetes to be sharpened ahead of Eid.
The sound of hammers striking red-hot iron and the glow of coal-fired furnaces have transformed Tangail’s blacksmith hubs into busy workstations as Eid preparations intensify.
According to traders, sacrificial animal slaughtering tools are being sold in markets across all 12 upazilas of the district. Alongside producing new equipment, blacksmiths are spending long hours sharpening old tools using both traditional methods and motorised grinding machines.
Although modern machinery has reduced dependence on traditional blacksmithing over the years, Eid-ul-Azha remains the peak season for the trade. However, craftsmen say soaring prices of coal, iron and labour have pushed up production costs significantly this year.
Currently, skinning knives are selling for Tk150 to Tk200, locally made cleavers for Tk600 to Tk700, one-kilogram boti knives for around Tk500, one-and-a-half-kilogram versions for Tk800, large slaughtering knives for Tk1,700 to Tk2,000, machetes for Tk600 to Tk1,000, and Chinese-made axes for Tk800 to Tk1,000.
A visit to Park Market in Tangail town found furnaces blazing inside blacksmith shops while workers hammered heated iron into shape. Buyers thronged the market to purchase slaughtering tools ahead of Eid.
Blacksmiths said despite strong sales, profits remain limited because of rising raw material costs. They expect business to peak during the final days before Eid.
“We hardly have time to rest now. We are working from morning until deep into the night,” said veteran blacksmith Probash Chandra Das, who has been in the profession for three decades. He said sales this year are better than last year despite higher costs.
He also said coal shortages have further increased prices. “We hope to sell products worth Tk800,000 to Tk1 million this season. We have stocked goods worth around Tk500,000,” he added.
Another blacksmith, Hanif Mia, said he has barely slept for the past few days because of the workload. “Alongside selling new tools, we are also repairing and sharpening old ones. Iron prices are much higher this year,” he said.
Workers said they are labouring from dawn until nearly 2am every day and earning around Tk1,100 in daily wages.
Buyers, meanwhile, complained about higher prices. Haris Ali, a customer from Boro Basailia, said he came to buy a machete for slaughtering cattle but found prices significantly higher than last year. Another buyer, Danesh, said sellers were demanding Tk800 for a cleaver that previously cost Tk700.
