The way sacrificial animals are taken to and from markets for Eid has changed over time. Buyers and sellers once walked their cattle home, holding them by the rope with garlands of coloured paper around their necks. That picture has changed: most animals at sacrificial markets are now carried in vehicles of various sizes. In Faridpur, pickups, mini-trucks and the locally made nosimon-korimon vehicles are in high demand for carrying sacrificial animals.

Buyers and sellers are moving from one market to another, and many are buying cattle and goats at markets in other upazilas. To take the animals home they hire mini pickups, mini-trucks and nosimon-korimon. The nosimon-korimon usually run on village roads, while pickups and mini-trucks run in town.

Owners and workers of these vehicles are getting a chance to earn extra ahead of Eid, and they are in good spirits. Buyers and sellers are also pleased that they can move animals quickly and without hassle. There are, however, complaints that some take advantage of the situation to charge higher fares.

A visit to several markets showed permanent and temporary cattle markets in Faridpur busy ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. Sellers bring cattle and goats of different sizes from the morning, and buyers go home with the animals they choose. After buying, they look for a pickup, mini-truck or nosimon-korimon, depending on the size of the animal.

According to the district livestock office, there are 40 permanent cattle markets in the district's nine upazilas, besides temporary markets at various places. Faridpur's demand for sacrificial animals this year is more than 1.08 lakh. Around 3,000 more animals than that are available for sale at 8,178 farms and farmers' cowsheds in the nine upazilas. In total, 51,167 cattle, 54,925 goats, 4,597 sheep and 105 buffaloes are ready in the district for Eid.

Barik Sheikh, who came to buy a cow at Saltha market, said he bought one for Tk 1 lakh 55 thousand. His home is about 20 kilometres away, and walking the cow that far by the rope would be very hard, so he hired a nosimon. "It costs money, but I can take the cow home without trouble," he said.

Another buyer, Shariful Islam, said he bought a cow at Sahasrail market. Walking it home would have taken at least three and a half hours and needed two or three people. Instead, he got home in just half an hour in a mini pickup for a small fare.

Shahidul Islam, a cattle trader at Gopalpur market in Alfadanga, said vehicles have clear advantages. If the price is poor at one market, the cattle can be taken quickly to another. The animals do not suffer, and many can be carried at once.

Cattle farmer and trader Monir Hossain told Jago News he has 12 cattle, large and small, on his farm. Prices at nearby markets are poor, so every year he hires a truck to take them to Gafilatir market. Walking cattle several hundred kilometres is impossible, he said, and for farmers and traders like him, pickups and trucks are the only option. At this time, he added, owners and drivers of nosimon-korimon, pickups and mini-trucks are in demand and busy.

Mini-truck owner Babul Hossain told Jago News he has two mini-trucks that carry bricks from kilns all year. For the last 15 days he has been carrying sacrificial cattle day and night. "The driver earns extra, and I am getting good fares too," he said.

Nosimon driver Hafizur Rahman, of Baro Kajuli village in Nagarkanda upazila, said he has fitted an iron cage to his nosimon for carrying cattle. It can take two large or four small cattle. Fares depend on distance. He makes four or five trips a day and earns about Tk 5,000 a day on average, work he expects to continue until Eid day.

Pickup driver Ruhul Sheikh said he is carrying nothing but cattle between markets until Eid, and will go back to carrying other goods afterwards. He gets five or six hires a day on average, as buyers and sellers alike now move cattle by vehicle. Fares per animal depend on the market or the distance, from a minimum of Tk 500 up to Tk 5,000.

Md Nur Islam Molla, of Kanaipur in Sadar upazila, was waiting with his mini-truck beside the cattle market in the town's Tepakhola area. He told Jago News that people no longer want to walk animals home if the distance is a little long, and choose mini pickups or nosimon-korimon instead, which lets them get home quickly at a low fare. Fares run from Tk 800 to Tk 2,000 or Tk 3,000, set by the size of the animal and the distance. He makes three or four trips a day on average.

MA Salam Lal Mia, lessee of Tepakhola market, said at least 20,000 to 25,000 cattle arrive at each market day around Eid. Good road links draw big crowds, with buyers and sellers coming from neighbouring districts and upazilas as well. Apart from sellers, at least 80 per cent of the buyers at this market carry their cattle away by pickup, small truck or nosimon-korimon, saving both time and labour.

Abdur Razzak, vice-president of the Faridpur Pickup Owners' Association, told Jago News there are about 600 pickups in the district and around a hundred or more mini-trucks. Demand for them has risen sharply for Eid, and drivers are busy carrying sacrificial animals. Fares depend on distance. No extra tolls have to be paid for these vehicles, and there is no trouble from the administration, he said, so buyers and sellers can easily carry their animals in them.

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