Eid-ul-Azha is just a day away, and Gabtoli, the capital's largest cattle market, is already bustling ahead of the sacrifice.

Continuous rain across the capital from Tuesday (26 May) morning turned the whole market muddy. Despite the hardship, the flow of buyers and sellers did not stop. The market was alive with cows, buffaloes and goats brought from different parts of the country, and buyers were searching for their chosen sacrificial animals.

This was the scene at the Gabtoli cattle market.

City residents were heading home one after another with animals they had bought, and crowds had formed in front of the hasil (market fee) counters. Vehicles carrying sacrificial animals for sale stood outside the market. Law enforcement members were on duty with tight security across the market.

Hamza Sheikh came to Gabtoli from Tangail with three cows. "I have sold two cows and one is left. The turnout of buyers today is quite good," he said.

Trader Hannan came to Gabtoli from Natore with animals. "Buyers are fairly good. We still haven't been able to unload the cows from the truck. Unloading has been delayed because of the rain. With the turnout I'm seeing, I hope the cows will sell," he said.

Idris was heading home after buying a cow. "The rain and mud have made things bad. I managed to buy a cow within my budget. Now I just want to get home without any trouble," he said.

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