Rajshahi June 13,(V7N)- There are only a few days left until the holy Eid-ul-Adha, but the buying and selling of sacrificial animals in Rajshahi have yet to pick up momentum. However, sellers and market organizers are hopeful that the cattle markets will become bustling in a day or two. According to the District Livestock Department, there will be a surplus of sacrificial animals in Rajshahi this year as well. The cattle of Rajshahi will meet the local demand and also supply other districts.
 
Data from the Livestock Department indicate that 466,196 animals are ready for sacrifice in Rajshahi this year. Among these, there are 83,365 cows, 3,769 buffaloes, and 342,753 goats. These animals have been raised both at home and on farms.
 
Rajshahi hosts ten major cattle markets, including the City Haat, Naohata, Katakhali, Mohishalbari and Kakonhat in Godagari, Machmoil in Bagmara, Kesherhat in Mohanpur, and Baneshwar in Puthia. Among these, the City Haat is one of the largest in the northwest region.
 
Trader Mukul Hossain came to the City Haat from Sonaichandi Haat area in Chapainawabganj to sell his cows. He said, "The cow I bought for Tk 1.5 lakh is being offered at Tk 1.2 lakh. I'm losing Tk 20-30 thousand per cow."
 
Mukul Hossain further added, "I entered the market at 10 AM with six cows. By 4:30 PM, I hadn't made a single sale. There are no buyers, only sellers. The supply of cows is very high."
 
Saidul Islam, a cattle seller from Bidirpur area of Naohata, said, "This year, the cattle market is very low (prices are low). The supply of cows is high. A cow worth Tk 1.5 lakh is being offered at Tk 1 lakh to Tk 1.15-1.2 lakh."
 
Zaman, a cattle trader from Tanore, brought three cows to the market. He sold two of them and said, "The cattle market is very bad this time; it's all a loss. The only reason for the low prices is the high supply of cows. This is the situation at the beginning of the market, and I don't think the prices will increase."
 
Rajshahi City Haat's leaseholder, Atiqur Rahman, mentioned that the trend of people buying cows from farms rather than markets is increasing.
 
He said, "Sales have started somewhat, and cow prices are also good. However, people are mostly buying cows from outside the markets. It doesn't seem like the markets will become very crowded before Eid."
 
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