Only one day remains before Eid-ul-Azha. Traders who brought sacrificial animals for last-minute sales are waiting for buyers. The market has plenty of animals but little rush of buyers, so sellers are passing the time idly.

That was the scene at the Shanir Akhra market in the capital on Saturday (15 June). The traders hope the crowds will build by the afternoon.

Meanwhile, traders are still bringing animals to the market from different parts of the country, and the market has now spilled into the surrounding lanes.

Most of the traders were sitting idle. Some were asleep for want of buyers, many were tending their animals, and others were on the phone to their families about how sales were going.

Golam Mawla, a trader from Faridpur, told Jagonews: "I brought 17 cows and have managed to sell five. The big ones are left. Customers are few now; they will pick up in the afternoon. Can you ever sell at the price you want? I'm having to sell at a loss on what I paid — a loss of Tk 30,000–40,000 on each cow. It's in Allah's hands; if Allah lets me sell them all, fine, otherwise there's no way."

Shishir Ahmed, a trader from Kushtia, told Jagonews: "I brought 12 cows and not one has sold. The market is in very bad shape; there are no sales at all. A cow I bought for Tk 2.2 lakh, they offer Tk 1.8 lakh. If cows sell like this, traders won't survive. If they don't sell, I'll certainly take them back. I'm much better off at home. Here they don't even offer the prices you'd get at a market in our village — it's that low. We came on the 9th, but I haven't sold a single one."

Md Hafez, another trader from Faridpur, told Jagonews: "I brought 13 cows and have sold one so far. I'll be able to sell them all, Inshallah. I'll sell everything today. Customers will come in the afternoon. All mine are big cows. Sales were good yesterday too, and I hope today will be good."

Anisul Islam, who came to buy an animal, told Jagonews: "I set out early to buy a cow, but the traders won't lower their prices. They think there will be lots of customers at night. I offered Tk 1.3 lakh for a cow, and they still wouldn't give it. I don't think I can buy now. Let's see — I'll come back at night."

Buyers also complained that goats were very expensive. Sellers were asking more than Tk 10,000 even for the smallest goats, and some were asking as much as Tk 1 lakh for big ones.

This year 20 sacrificial cattle markets have been set up in the areas of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC): 11 in the south city, including the permanent Sarulia market, and nine in the north city, including the permanent Gabtoli market. Law enforcement agencies are on duty for the safety of buyers and sellers, and volunteers and leaseholders are working round the clock.

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