Cattle Markets in Capital
Traders glum amid slumping price
The cattle traders who fetched home good profits last year are facing a completely reverse situation this year with slumping prices of the animals due to a huge supply.
Last year, several thousand people of Dhaka city failed to buy sacrificial animals, as most of the cattle markets ran out of animals on the last day before eid. Many of them had to buy cattle on the second or third day of eid due to the unusual scarcity.
Visiting several cattle markets yesterday, this correspondent found most of the traders were having anxious faces while many others started selling their cattle even suffering a loss.
On the other hand, buyers appeared to be happy for low prices and availability of cattle.
A trader from Kushtia, Shafiqul Alam, who brought 24 bulls in the Gabtali cattle market six days back, said he already incurred a Tk 1 lakh loss on the 10 bulls he sold.
"I fear more loss the next day as the supply in the market has almost doubled compared to last year's," he said. "I have no other choice but selling them at lower prices. I will not be able to rear the cattle again. It would only mean more costs on me."
Motaleb, a trader of Manikganj, said the prices of cattle were falling day by day. "Buyers offered Tk 65,000 for my middle sized bull on Wednesday. Now it is drawing a highest offer of Tk 52,000."
Traders said high prices and scarcity of cattle last year prompted many traders to bring more cattle to Dhaka, and it was one of the main reasons of the huge supply this year.
The low price of bulls also frustrated the traders of goats and sheep.
A huge number of people who purchased goat last year are buying bulls or cows this year for their low prices, said Selim Bepari, who brought 400 goats in Gabtoli market, and sold only half of them so far.
"I could sell a goat by Tk 12,000 last year though Tk 6,000 was its actual price," said Selim, who sold one of the largest goats of the country for Tk 70,000 yesterday.
CAMEL
As in the previous years, around nine camels were awaiting sale in the Gabtali cattle market yesterday. Mazlu, who brought the camels from Rajashthan, said, "I have sold six of the camels so far, each for Tk 4.50 lakh to Tk 6 lakh."
As in the previous years, around nine camels were awaiting sale in the Gabtali cattle market yesterday. Mazlu, who brought the camels from Rajashthan, said, "I have sold six of the camels so far, each for Tk 4.50 lakh to Tk 6 lakh."
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