Only two days remain before Eid-ul-Azha, and the capital's cattle markets have come alive at the last minute. But sellers say intermittent rain since the morning has slowed sales. They are also unhappy that demand for big cows is low and that no type of cow is fetching the price they want. As a result, they are being forced to sell at limited profit.

This was the scene on Thursday (5 June) at the Shahjahanpur cattle market in the railway colony at Kamalapur in the capital.

Buyers and sellers were moving around the market under umbrellas in the rain. Some had bought the cow they wanted and set off home, while others walked around looking for one. Once they found a cow they liked, the bargaining began.

Md Didar brought ten cows from Jamalpur and had sold five so far, with five left.

Pointing to an unsold cow, he said he was not getting the price he wanted. "I bought this cow for Tk 1 lakh 38 thousand and spent Tk 2,000 on it, so Tk 1 lakh 40 thousand in all. Now it is fetching Tk 1 lakh 30 to 35 thousand. People come, quote a price and leave, without saying or listening to anything more."

Asked why sales and prices are low, he said people are buying medium cows, and those priced between Tk 80,000 and Tk 85,000 are selling most. The rain is also keeping buyers from coming to the market properly.

Sohel Rana brought 16 cows from Sirajganj to the Shahjahanpur market. He said trade was moderate, neither very good nor very bad, and he had sold 14 cows. Sales are low because of the rainy weather, he said. Asked if he was happy with the prices, he said: "I won't say happy. Alhamdulillah that I could sell. It will be enough if I can sell and go home."

Mokhles brought 12 cows from Jamalpur and has sold seven so far. He hopes to sell the rest before Eid. The weather is bad, so buyers cannot come properly, and those who do cannot stand in one place and look at the cattle well, he said. Demand is higher for medium cows, and big cows are selling very little. People are looking for cows between Tk 1 lakh and Tk 1 lakh 10 thousand. "Even the ones I sold brought limited profit. What can I do? I have to sell; I can't take them back."

Ashraf Ali brought eight cows from Natore to the Shahjahanpur market and has sold six over the past two days, with two left. Sales are not bad, he said. Asked if he got the price he wanted, he said he did not, but he has made no loss so far. "The rain has caused trouble and sales are low. Otherwise these two would have sold too."

Buyers, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction at being able to buy cows within their means.

Buyer Md Bozlu Mia said the seller asked Tk 1 lakh 20 thousand and he bought the cow for Tk 85,000. "Everyone who sees it says it was a good buy. Now the owner (my landlord) is happy and so am I." He said he bought a cow he liked more or less within budget, and at this market a good cow can be had for about Tk 1 lakh 20 to 25 thousand.

Another buyer, Milon Sheikh, said prices at the market are fairly low. "They asked Tk 1 lakh 40 thousand for a cow, but after bargaining I bought it for Tk 1 lakh 15 thousand. Not bad; it's more or less within budget."

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