Over the last few days, the sale of sacrificial animals through online platforms has been steadily increasing, with sellers expecting demand to go up further in the remaining days before Eid-Ul-Azha.
Just like the previous years, the government had launched the digital cattle markets with top e-commerce platforms.
The third edition of Digital Haat, a public-private joint venture, was inaugurated earlier this week with several changes brought in to incentivize consumers for shopping online.
More than 900 regional haats have been added to the platform this year, which includes an app as well as a website. The service will be available in Chittagong, Rajshahi and Jessore as well as Dhaka with the management being jointly handled by the Ministry of Commerce, Dhaka North City Corporation, Bangladesh Dairy Farm Association, A2I, Ekshop, and E-Cab.
Apart from a call centre and live chat facility, there is a ‘live haat’ option to get updates on new animals.
The platform does not place any charges on buyers or sellers and includes the option for donating the skins of the sacrificed animals.
Additionally, a digital tool to help consumers weigh animals virtually has been added to the platform and the website address has been permanently changed from .net to .gov.
The platform is currently displaying animals in diverse colours, sizes, and price ranges including local, cross, Indian, Nepali, Sahiwal, Jebu, Sindhi, Jersey, Holistine, Haryana, Friziyan and many other breeds of cattle.
Consumers will be able to purchase their desired cattle ranging from Tk50,000 to Tk1 crore.
The country's top e-commerce platforms Daraz, Bikroy.com and Priyoshop are also selling sacrificial animals witnessing satisfactory levels of sales, which is expected to increase further.
However, industry insiders said that the e-commerce platforms started offering sacrificial animals a month earlier.
About 10,000 animals are being advertised on Bikroy.com, a large number of which have already been sold, while Priyoshop has showcased around 1000 animals on its platform so far through a special campaign surrounding Eid.
Ishita Sharmin, chief executive of Bikroy.com, told Dhaka Tribune that customers used to worry about the weight and delivery of the animals bought on e-commerce platforms, but their perception has changed.
“People trust our services after having availed of them over the past few years, ” she said.
On the other hand, Daraz has displayed over 1,500 animals and is offering a discount for Eid. The demand for low-cost cows and goats on the e-commerce platform is high. Most of the cows priced between Tk60,000 and Tk80,000 have been sold out.
Sadeeq agro has also experienced a higher demand for medium and small sized cattle. It has already sold more than 2,500 animals and over 10,000 are on offer.
In addition to the e-commerce platform, social media has had a great response to the sale of sacrificial animals, especially through Facebook and YouTube.
Companies selling sacrificial animals through Facebook include Samarai Cattle, Safe Protein, Meghdubi Agro, and hundreds of others.
However, experts have advised caution when buying or selling animals through Facebook, as it is difficult to verify identities.
About 9,093,242 cattle were sacrificed across the country last year, data from the ministry showed.
Out of them, 387,579 were sold online.
According to e-Cab, 387,579 animals worth Tk2,735 crore were sold across the country, among which, 296,610 are cows and buffaloes and 90,869 are goats and sheep.
This time, about 20 makeshift cattle markets will be set up in Dhaka.
The central bank and the DNCC are facilitating a digital payment system in six of them so that customers can make transactions electronically.
According to industry insiders, the number of digital cattle markets is increasing every year. However, entrepreneurs of the sector said despite demand for online cattle shopping being prevalent unlike last time, the impact of the pandemic is not that severe and many people will be celebrating Eid at their respective villages which will have an impact on online sales.
Besides, floods have also affected the north-western part of the country which will also have an overall impact on the online cattle market.
