Nineteen cattle markets are being set up in the capital's two city corporations this Eid-ul-Azha to make it easier for city dwellers to buy sacrificial animals. Preparations are almost complete; some work remains at a few markets, but it is going on day and night. If all goes well, buying and selling will begin on Friday (23 June).

Although a day remains before the set time for sales, cows and goats have already started arriving at the markets. City corporation monitoring cells will be present to prevent irregularities and mismanagement. The central bank has ordered the use of counterfeit-note detection machines at every cattle market in the capital, and law enforcers will be deployed to protect traders coming from remote parts of the country.

Meher Ali of Jhenaidah brought two truckloads of cattle to the Shahjahanpur market on Wednesday (21 June) night. "We bring cattle here every year. If you don't come a little early you don't get space. More cattle are on the way. We have brought some already, and the rest will enter the market on Saturday," he said.

Another trader at the market, Afzal, said they had kept their cattle beside the market and would bring them into the main market on Friday, when sales might begin. "Cattle feed is more expensive this year. As rearing costs more, prices will also be higher," he said.

Because the animals arrived before the set time, curious crowds are gathering. Some are asking prices, and many are bargaining just to test the market.

Anwar Hossain, a resident of Benazir Bagan, said: "I came to see what the cattle market might be like. If I buy a cow now, I have no place to keep it. I plan to buy on the night before Eid."

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