Cattle markets in Rajshahi are getting busy ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, with growing crowds of buyers and sellers at the district's traditional City Hat and other local markets. But with supply outstripping demand, animals outnumber buyers, and farmers are worried about getting the prices they want.

According to the District Livestock Office, 4,63,011 animals have been prepared for sacrifice in Rajshahi this year: 1,04,841 cattle, 3,425 buffaloes, 3,11,339 goats and 43,406 sheep. Against this, demand in the district is about 3,71,058 animals, leaving a surplus of about 92,000, which will be sent to other districts.

At Rajshahi's City Hat, traders and farmers were bringing animals from different upazilas from the morning, and farmers from other districts arrived with truckloads of cattle. But with several days still left before Eid, few buyers were present. Farmers say sales will pick up in a day or two.

Trade is also picking up at the Sonaichandi, Kankonhat, Damkura, Sabai, Baneshwar, Katakhali, Nowhata, Keshorhat and Tebaria markets, and many people are booking animals in advance directly from farms or households.

Farmers at the market say the cost of raising animals has risen sharply this year because of higher feed prices, and they will face losses if they do not get fair prices.

Farmer Surendranath said that unless they get a price equivalent to around Tk 800 per kg of meat, they will make a loss, let alone a profit, because they spent more on raising the animals this year.

Ramjan Ali, a farmer from Tikor village in Paba upazila, said rising feed and care costs have put extra pressure on production, and demanded government market monitoring and protection of farmers' interests.

Buyers, for their part, complain that brokers active in the markets are artificially pushing up prices, confusing ordinary buyers and forcing them to pay more. Several days of intense heat have also made things hard for people at the markets.

District Livestock Officer Dr Md Atowar Rahman said local farmers used to suffer when Indian cattle came in. This time extra surveillance has been put in place at the border to stop cattle entering illegally, and the administration is working to protect local farmers.

He added that with supply exceeding demand in the Rajshahi region, the market is expected to remain stable, and monitoring at the markets has been stepped up.

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