Buyers and traders are arguing in the middle of the capital's Gabtoli cattle market. A cow that will yield three maunds of meat is being offered at Tk 96,000 to Tk 1 lakh, and a medium local cow yielding four maunds at Tk 1,30,000. That makes a three-maund cow Tk 24,000 to 30,000 dearer than last year, and the sky-high prices have left buyers uneasy.

That was the picture at Gabtoli on Thursday (22 June). Sacrificial animals have started arriving, but big cattle have not yet come in any numbers, and the animals that are there are expensive. There were few real buyers; the handful who came were busy bargaining, and those who agreed a price bought the animal they liked. School and college students and TikTokers were also noticeably crowding the market.

Asma Begum of Kamrangirchar came to Gabtoli with her son, daughter and daughter-in-law. After looking at 16 to 18 cattle she bought a red cow for Tk 95,000 and was delighted.

She told Jagonews24: "Cattle prices are much higher this year. For a four-maund cow they are asking Tk 30,000 to 32,000 more than last year. I bought this cow for Tk 95,000 to sacrifice in the name of Allah. Everyone at home will look after it these few days. I wanted to buy a bigger cow, but prices are high."

Traders say the prices of meat and cattle feed are up, so they are buying cattle at higher prices from markets and households and bringing them to Dhaka. Transport also costs more. These are the reasons for the higher prices, they say.

Siddique Bepari of Mirpur in Kushtia told Jagonews24 he had sold a cow for Tk 95,000. Prices are up this year because feed and transport cost more, he said.

Traders argue that the price of sacrificial animals depends on the price of meat. Beef sold at Tk 600 a kg last year; within a year it has risen by Tk 200 to Tk 800. That puts the price of a maund of meat up by Tk 8,000, and so the price of a three-maund cow up by Tk 24,000.

Abdul Khaleque Bepari of Gangni, Meherpur, has come to Gabtoli with 60 cattle, as he does every year. He says prices are high because of feed and transport costs.

"Even at the butcher's rate, the price of a maund of meat has risen by Tk 8,000. Meat that was Tk 600 a kg last year is now Tk 800. By that reckoning, anyone who wants to sacrifice a three-maund cow will have to pay Tk 24,000 to 30,000 more. We cannot buy cattle in the villages. If we cannot get cattle cheaply, how will we sell in Dhaka?" he said.

Meanwhile, the main Gabtoli market has expanded. For now, people who have space at home are buying; final sales will begin on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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