Prices of animals in the cattle markets in capital Dhaka went up somewhat on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha following a last-minute flurry of buyers.
But this did not cheer up cattle traders arriving from all parts of the country on Tuesday. Most said they were facing losses and not getting the right prices.
Muslims in Bangladesh, along with others all over the world, will celebrate the Eid on Wednesday.
Spot visitors to Gabtoli, Nayabazar, Agargaon and Kamalapur cattle markets since Tuesday morning found relatively fewer buyers enjoying plenty of supply. The scene was not very different at the other markets in the capital.
But the markets livened up in the evening, as some last-minute buyers showed up.
One of the traders, Jahangir Hossain of Kushtia, had come to Nayabazar market with 16 cows. He claimed to have earned a profit of nearly Tk 100,000 after selling all his animals.
But Chuadanga’s Khairul Haque told a different story. He had to sell two cows at Tk 6,000 loss for each, as time ran out, with the Eid scheduled on Wednesday.
Wahed Ali Sarkar at Armanitola cattle market said he had come last Sunday with 20 cows. Six were yet to be sold.
“If I was to sell at the prices buyers are calling, I’ll suffer a loss of at least Tk 6,000,” he said.
Traders said they made most of the selling on Monday. Prices remained a notch higher than on previous days. But it was not comfortable for sellers as there were fewer buyers during the day on Tuesday even though the prices rose somewhat.
Another trader Ahmed Bepari had come to Armanitola market from Jessore with 12 cows on Tuesday.
Asked why he came so late, he said, “I had started on Sunday. But traffic jams on the ways held me up.”
He was also depressed with the prices not meeting the buyers’ demands.
Medicine trader Imam Hossain bought a cow at Tk 53,000 from the Jinjira cattle market. According to him, the price was at average level even on the day before Eid.
Another buyer Abdur Rahim, who came to Gabtoli market for last moment buying, said the prices usually fell on the night before Eid. “Traders are in a hurry to sell fast. But it seems prices have gone up today.”
At least 25 cattle markets were set up in different parts in the two Dhaka City Corporation areas, many of them alongside roads.
Source: Bd news24
