With only two days left before holy Eid-ul-Azha, Kolkata's animal markets have come alive. But no cattle were seen at the temporary market near the Nakhoda Mosque, where only dumba (fat-tailed sheep) and goats are being sold. On Thursday (5 June), Muslims were seen coming to this temporary market on Zakaria Street to buy animals for sacrifice.

Goat traders have come to the market from Kolkata and surrounding districts, and a number of traders have also brought animals from other states. Most buyers come from various parts of Kolkata. Local residents are more interested in animals brought from outside, especially improved breeds of goat and dumba.

Seller Tao Singh has brought goats and dumba from Mewar in Rajasthan. He has goats at 20,000 rupees as well as dumba and goats at 40,000 to 50,000 rupees. He told Jago News he brought 70 animals to the temporary market and has sold 30 so far. He hopes to sell them all before Eid.

A seller from North 24 Parganas in West Bengal said he was not finding the buyers he had hoped for, and buyers were not willing to pay proper prices. "Goats we bought for 20,000 rupees and planned to sell for at least 22,000, buyers won't pay more than 15,000 to 16,000. The market is much worse than last time. But there are still two days left; let's see what happens."

Mohammad Shamim, who came to the temporary market to buy a dumba, said he came because animals are a little cheaper here. He was looking for a somewhat larger goat but had not yet seen a large dumba or goat. A big goat here was being offered at 1 lakh 40 thousand rupees. "Let's see what can be done," he said.

Meanwhile, police said Kolkata had been put under a security blanket for Eid, with a close watch to ensure there are no untoward incidents over the sacrifice.

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