Narayanganj's cattle markets have come alive ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the festival of sacrifice. Cattle have started arriving from different parts of the country by road and by river, and the haats are busy with buyers and sellers. With several days still to go before Eid, the arrivals are not over; cattle will keep coming until the day before the sacrifice.

A visit to several haats showed farmers bringing in cattle of various breeds, and buyers have also started to come.

Sources said 1 lakh 59 thousand animals were sacrificed in Narayanganj last year. This year one lakh animals are ready for the sacrifice at about 4,000 farms in the district, and the remaining 60,000 will come from other parts of the country.

Around 75 permanent and temporary haats are being set up in Narayanganj City Corporation, the municipalities and the upazilas for this Eid.

Cattle are also being sold online from 33 farms in the district. These farms can slaughter the animal and deliver the meat to the buyer's home if asked. Buyers view animals and make bookings on the online farms every day.

Motiur Rahman Billal, managing director of Amish Agro, said most of the farm's cattle are sold online. "Like other years, we are getting a good response this time. Goats are also sold online besides cattle. Many people have already booked. We hope to meet our target this year too."

Farmer Hobi brought cattle to a haat in the Fatullah area. "I have brought 16 cattle from Pabna," he said. "I have cattle priced from Tk 2 lakh to Tk 5 lakh. I come every year, and I hope to sell at a good price this time too." Buyers have not yet arrived in large numbers, he added; those who come are bargaining but not buying yet, as buyers usually buy the day before Eid.

Joynal Uddin, a buyer at the haat, said there were still several days left before Eid. "For now I am checking prices and picking out what I like. I will buy one or two days before Eid."

Mehedi Hasan, representative of the lessee of the Fatullah DIT haat, told Jago News the market gets a good response every year. "Cattle have started coming this year too. There are still several days to Eid, so the arrivals are not over. We hope cattle will come as expected. We have ensured all facilities for buyers and sellers."

Narayanganj District Livestock Officer Basona Akhtar told Jago News that the department has a veterinary team at every haat in Narayanganj and that there are enough animals for the sacrifice this year. Considering buyers' demand and convenience, online buying and selling has been arranged alongside the haats.

Narayanganj Superintendent of Police Golam Mostafa Rasel said law enforcers have been deployed at the haats to keep the situation under control around Eid-ul-Azha. Haats must be run according to government rules, he said, and legal action will be taken against anyone who forcibly drags cattle away. "No one will be spared."

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