Cattle markets in Pirojpur have come alive. But despite the crowds, the buyers sellers want are missing, and sellers complain they are not getting prices. Many farmers fear losses from selling at low prices animals they have raised with great effort.

A visit to Dighirjan cattle market in Pirojpur's Nazirpur upazila found it packed to the brim with buyers and sellers. As the largest market in the district, it is where most buyers purchase their animals. Traders and farmers have brought truckloads of cattle from neighbouring districts and upazilas. Sellers have laid out sacrificial animals of all sizes and wait for buyers, amid rows of animals and loud calls, in a festive atmosphere. Yet the buyers are not there. With low sales by the end of the day and buyers offering low prices, farmers and traders are worried. The administration is keeping a watchful eye on the market.

Farmers say they raised their cattle through a year of hard work, spending heavily on feed, treatment and care. "But now we are not getting the real price at the market. People come, look, ask the price and leave," they say.

Buyers, for their part, say they are still checking the market. With two days left before Eid, many are waiting to buy if prices fall a little further.

Because demand in Pirojpur is higher for small and medium cows, sellers of large cattle are worried. Unable to agree on prices, many farmers and seasonal traders are waiting for the next market day.

Seasonal cattle trader Keramat Ali said he brought ten cows from Chitalmari in Bagerhat. "I went into business this Eid with Tk 30 lakh. With low prices I will face a big loss. I don't think even 50 per cent of the people who sacrificed last year will do so this year. I brought ten cows but haven't sold even one so far."

Cattle trader Liton Kazi said he had not sold a single one of the cows he brought, as buyers were not offering the expected price. "Buyers ask the price and leave, but nobody buys. If I can't sell at this market, I will take them to Pachpara market in Pirojpur."

Jubayer Islam, a mosque imam who came to buy a cow at Dighirjan, said this was the biggest market in Pirojpur. He liked several cows and made offers, but the sellers would not sell. Prices this year are moderate, he said.

Mizanur Rahman Sharif, lessee of Dighirjan market, told Jago News that a large number of cattle had arrived this year, but prices were lower than in other years. Many cattle have been sold so far. The livestock office has set up a help centre so that any animal that falls ill can be treated quickly, and there is regular surveillance to prevent fraud against buyers and sellers, along with adequate arrangements to detect counterfeit notes.

Around 53,000 farms, large and small, in Pirojpur district have produced 46,717 animals of various breeds for sacrifice. The district's demand for sacrificial animals is 40,257.

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