As in the last few years, Qurbani this year will be met with animals raised in the country. Some 1.25 crore animals fit for sacrifice are ready for the coming Qurbani, which is why restrictions have been tightened at the border on cattle entering illegally from India and Myanmar.

Nahid Rashid, secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, said this in reply to journalists' questions while visiting an agro farm in the capital's Mohammadpur area on Saturday, 10 June.

Nahid Rashid said more animals fit for Qurbani are ready this year than for the last Eid-ul-Azha, and the number may rise further, so there will be no need to import any animals from abroad. "That is why we have increased surveillance in border areas. We are in regular contact with the home ministry and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) so that no animals come in from outside," he said.

The secretary said there were 1.21 crore animals fit for Qurbani last year, but 99.5 lakh animals were sacrificed at last year's Eid-ul-Azha. On that basis, even if the number of sacrifices rises this year, there will be no shortage of animals.

Responding to farmers' demands, the secretary also gave an assurance that 999 would be added so that no seller or farmer bringing Qurbani animals from around the country is harassed or subjected to extortion before Eid. He said that if any other hotline number needs to be added, that too will be finalised at an inter-ministerial meeting on 14 June.

On lowering the price of animal feed, Md Emdadul Haque Talukder, director general of the Department of Livestock Services, said: "We have already managed to bring feed prices down somewhat, and our efforts are continuing. A lot of grass is now being grown around the country, so we have been able to bring prices down considerably. We hope to cut feed prices further from two or three months from now."

Mohammad Imran Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association, and other leaders were present. The farmers put their various problems to the secretary.

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