Special trains have been arranged to carry Qurbani animals from 6 to 8 July, Fisheries and Livestock Minister S M Rezaul Karim has said.

Anyone who buys an animal online or in person and has trouble getting it home will be able to take it by train or other transport; that arrangement has also been made, he said.

He was speaking as chief guest at the online launch on Sunday, 3 July, of "Digital Haat 2022", an online platform for selling Qurbani animals. The event was jointly organised by a2i and ekShop of the Information and Communication Technology Division and e-CAB.

Rezaul Karim said care must be taken that no one is cheated when buying livestock online. a2i, ekShop, e-CAB and the other forums involved in the Digital Haat must jointly ensure this so that people's trust grows. If anyone is cheated, they will not want to join the process next year, he said.

According to a survey, there is demand for 97 lakh 75 thousand Qurbani animals, the minister said. To meet it, 1,21,24,389 livestock have been kept ready so that there is no shortage. There was a time when people worried about Qurbani animals if animals did not come from India and Myanmar. One chapter of Bangladesh's progress under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the revolutionary change in the livestock sector, and the country now produces a surplus over demand, he said.

Managing Qurbani animals once involved many difficulties and adverse conditions, he said, but modernisation through information technology has made it much easier. If someone is not satisfied with an animal bought online, there is a remedy. Smart cards and other apps have been provided for payments. This shows Bangladesh's visible transformation into a digital country before the world, he said.

"Last year 3 lakh 75 thousand livestock were sold online. Because of the coronavirus situation, many were not interested in Qurbani. This year more livestock are expected to be sold," he said.

The arrangement to return livestock bought online if the buyer does not like them will continue, so that it benefits everyone and no one is cheated, he added. A virtual calculator has been newly added to the online platform this year, which will free buyers and sellers from unwanted problems and worries.

The minister said it is essential to ensure that livestock uploaded online come with details of ownership, address, the owner's mobile number, the animal's age, weight and photo. A health certificate must be obtained for uploaded livestock, provided by the department's veterinary surgeons, so that sick animals unfit for sacrifice can be identified. The Department of Livestock Services will give farmers the help they need to join online platforms, and the Dairy Farmers Association must take initiatives in coordination with the e-commerce association.

No market toll may be collected on online sales of animals, he said. These sales will be kept outside the lease system, and it must be ensured that no one is harassed over this. Even if someone sells an animal at home or on the road outside a market, no toll or extortion money may be taken from them. Vehicles carrying Qurbani animals will get priority on roads, bridges and ferries. If anyone faces problems transporting animals bought online, the Department of Livestock Services control room will work to solve them. "Our aim is that neither buyers nor sellers face problems," he said.

The event was chaired by State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak. Senior secretary of the ICT Division N M Zeaul Alam and senior secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Tapan Kanti Ghosh spoke as special guests. Also speaking were additional secretaries of the Ministry of Commerce Md Hafizur Rahman and A H M Shafiquzzaman, and Cabinet Division joint secretary Dr Dewan Mohammad Humayun Kabir, among others.

e-CAB president Shomi Kaiser gave the welcome speech, and a2i head of e-commerce Rezwanul Haque Jami presented the Digital Haat platform.

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