Only one day remains before Eid-ul-Azha, and the capital's sacrificial animal markets have come alive. But rain has left the markets caked in mud, causing great hardship for buyers and sellers. Amid it all, they are haggling over cows, and in many cases they cannot agree on a price.

This was the scene at the Kajla and Shanir Akhra markets in Jatrabari after midday rain on Tuesday (26 May). There was no shortage of cows and goats, but traffic jams and mismanagement were evident, casting a shadow of discomfort over the festive business of buying sacrificial animals.

When rain fell in the capital at midday the day before, Monday, the situation at the markets became serious. Traders who had come from across the country with their cows were stuck in mud, knee-deep in places and ankle-deep in others. Buyers were asking prices from a distance and moving away, they said.

Inside the market, cows stood in mud in some places, while elsewhere sellers were laying bamboo and straw to create temporary dry spots. Several traders alleged that although the market lessees had paid thousands of taka for the lease, they had not made effective arrangements to drain the rainwater, so buyers were losing interest in going inside. Farmers and traders from Kushtia, Madaripur, Jamalpur, Faridpur, Chuadanga, Manikganj, Rajbari, Tangail and Jhenaidah were in difficulty as a result.

Abir Hossain, a resident of Merajnagar, said he had been looking for a medium-sized cow for two hours. His maximum budget was Tk 1.6 lakh, but the cow he liked was priced at Tk 2.5 lakh, so he was now thinking of taking a share in a sacrifice rather than sacrificing alone.

Another buyer, Ayub, said his family's budget was Tk 2 lakh to Tk 2.5 lakh, but the cows they liked were priced at Tk 3.5 lakh to Tk 4 lakh.

A Supreme Court lawyer and his family liked a handsome red cow at Shanir Akhra but could not agree on the price. They offered Tk 2 lakh, while the seller wanted Tk 3 lakh.

Haji Ibrahim of the Konapara area bought a cow for Tk 1.88 lakh. He said many people had not wanted to buy early because of the rain, but they were coming to buy that day. Cow prices were a little higher than last time, he said.

Sellers, however, claim fodder prices have almost doubled in a year, on top of transport and labour costs, so selling at the prices buyers want would mean a big loss on each cow.

Shariful Islam from Kalukhali in Rajbari said: "Buyers are offering Tk 20,000 to Tk 30,000 less per cow. It is not possible to sell at that price."

Md Iyadat Hossain had come from Alfadanga in Faridpur with 14 cows, nine of which were still unsold. He told Jago News: "Cows are not selling as targeted. Prices here are lower than in the village. All the cows I've sold went for between Tk 1.14 lakh and Tk 1.4 lakh. Nobody is bargaining over the slightly bigger ones worth Tk 2.5-3 lakh. Yet the traders who were with us sold their cows in the village for more than this. They have gone home and we are still at the market."

Munaj Uddin, who brought 18 cows from Bakshiganj in Jamalpur, had managed to sell seven. "Cow prices are high in Bakshiganj, but in Dhaka I find them on the low side. I bought this red cow for Tk 1.7 lakh and now I'm being offered Tk 1.4 lakh. Transport cost Tk 1,800 to Tk 2,000 per cow. How am I supposed to sell?" he said.

Another trader from the same area said he had brought 17 cows and had sold seven so far. In his view, people have less money this year, so they offer lower prices.

Md Hossain, who came from Char Fasson in Bhola with 30 medium-sized cows, said he arrived on Sunday (24 May) night and had sold nine cows by Tuesday evening. "I really started selling on Monday. With the rain and few buyers, the cows are not selling," he said.

Baharul Islam, who came to Kajla from Magura with four cows, was telling his brother-in-law on the phone in his local dialect that it was raining hard, that he would come home once the cows were sold, and that he would not haggle much.

Speaking to Jago News, Baharul said: "These are cows raised in our own shed. There's no reckoning of profit or loss. But my family is saying that in this rain, the price doesn't matter; the cows have to be sold. Two of us came with the cows on Sunday night, but my brother-in-law went home this Tuesday morning. He phoned when he got home and I was talking to him."

He said he had sold one of the four cows for Tk 1.27 lakh and another for Tk 1.35 lakh. The truck fare from home to the market was Tk 2,680 per cow. Once he sells the remaining two, he can go home.

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