On the afternoon of Qurbani day a different scene appears at Railghumti, Thana Mor and Satmatha in Bogura town. Amid the festive mood, makeshift markets spring up there for meat collected from Qurbani. Every year they bring some relief to middle- and low-income people who cannot afford a sacrifice, but this year was different: the meat was selling at Tk 800 a kg, beyond the reach of many.

Most of those selling meat at these markets are from Chaksutrapur in the town and from nearby upazilas including Gabtali and Sonatola. Some collected meat from different households; others worked as butchers' assistants and brought the extra meat they received as payment.

Ripon Mondol, a trader with meat for sale at Railghumti, said business was not as good as last year. "People are earning less, so there were far fewer sacrifices. Last time I bought meat at Tk 500 to 550 and sold it at Tk 700. This time we ourselves have to buy at Tk 750 and we are selling at Tk 800 on the open market. Because prices are so high, we can't get as much meat as we need."

A large share of buyers are middle-class and salaried families in the town who could not give Qurbani this year for various reasons. One of them, private-sector employee Arif Hasan, could not go home for the Eid holiday. With no relatives nearby, he came to buy meat so he could entertain friends or office colleagues.

Trader Sheikh Md Touhidul Islam said the buyers were mostly middle-class salaried people. "We are selling at Tk 800 a kg with a profit of Tk 20 to 30 a kg. That helps them, and those selling also earn some extra money on the festival day," he said.

Buyers were angry and disappointed with the price. Shamim Ahmmed said: "They are asking a flat Tk 800 a kg here. We can't buy meat at that price. It is much better to buy from a butcher's shop at Tk 750 a kg."

Another buyer, Azizar, said meat that is available for Tk 700 to 750 on other days was costing Tk 800 at the makeshift market. "The price is high, and on top of that you can't get as much as you need. The regular traders take all the meat early, and ordinary buyers like us go back empty-handed," he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.