Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest religious festivals for Muslims, is only hours away. Goats as well as cows are on offer at the sacrificial cattle markets, but a different picture was seen in various parts of the capital this time. With few buyers at the markets, many traders are taking goats from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

On the morning of Wednesday 27 May, traders were seen walking goats on ropes around Banasree in the capital. In some places several traders were moving through the neighbourhood together with their goats.

Md. Rabbi, a trader who brought 13 goats from Kushtia, was standing at a street corner in Banasree A Block. "Even after two days at the market, sales were poor," he said. "Eid is tomorrow. If I can't sell today, there will be no chance to sell. So now I am going from area to area trying to sell. People hear the price and walk away. I am worried whether I will recover my costs."

"Feed and transport costs have risen a lot this time, which is why goat prices are a bit higher," he said. "But buyers think we are asking too much in hope of a big profit. I am now asking less than I did at the market, and still they aren't selling. I have given up hope of profit. I'll be happy just to get my money back."

Siddiqur Rahman, a trader from Faridpur, was also walking goats in the same area. "Last year I brought 15 goats to Dhaka and they all sold, the day before Eid," he said. "This year I brought 12 and sold only one at the market. I think people are going to the market less because of the rain, so I left the market and came into the neighbourhood. Here I have sold four, but not at a good price. I made about Tk 2,000 profit on four goats. Only Allah knows when the rest will sell."

He said there are fewer buyers not only for goats but also for cows this time. Many are now buying cattle and goats online, and some are buying from farms they know. "That is why retail traders like us are not getting buyers as before. If this continues, traders will bring fewer cattle to Dhaka in future."

Akkas Ali, a trader who brought goats from Madaripur, said: "I brought goats to Dhaka this morning and ran into heavy rain as soon as I arrived. I called a trader I know, who said the market was very soft (sluggish). So instead of taking the goats to the market, I brought them to the neighbourhood. It will be easier for people to buy goats near their homes. People are coming to see them, but they offer low prices. I have sold three of ten."

Didarul Alam, a Banasree resident, said: "Yesterday I went to the market to look at goats. The traders were asking very high prices; for a goat that would give 13 to 15 kg of meat they were asking Tk 25,000 to Tk 27,000. So I came back without buying. Today I bought two goats of that size near my home for Tk 26,000."

Another resident, Taslima Akter, said many families are trying to cut costs this year. "The market situation is already under pressure, so people calculate even when buying a goat. We went to the market the day before yesterday to buy a goat, but the traders were asking too much, so we didn't buy. Today we bought one in the neighbourhood and got it much cheaper than at the market. We will sacrifice in the name of Allah, and I was able to buy a goat I liked. Alhamdulillah."

Md. Hridoy, another Banasree resident, said that at the start of the market season traders were asking very high prices for cows and goats, which is why sales were low. Many also could not go to the market because of the rain. "We wanted to go to the market today, but now goats have come to the neighbourhood, so we won't go. We will buy a goat we like right here."

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