Bangladesh sees surplus of sacrificial animals this year

Amid ongoing political instability in the country, the Indian government has suspended cattle exports to Bangladesh. In anticipation of such challenges, the Bangladeshi government has, over the past decade, paid special attention to the livestock sector and implemented various development projects. As a result, small and medium-scale farmers have emerged across the country, while large-scale investors have poured in hundreds of crores of taka into the industry. Bangladesh is gradually becoming self-sufficient in livestock production.

According to the Department of Livestock Services (DLS), there will be no shortage of sacrificial animals for the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha. This year, the country has a stock of 12,447,337 sacrificial animals. Last year, around 10.4 million animals were sacrificed, and a similar number is expected this year. This indicates that the supply of sacrificial animals exceeds the demand.

Over the past year, the number of cattle in the country has increased by 193,944, while the number of goats has decreased by 768,671.

Data shows that the highest number of sacrificial cattle and goats is currently available in the Rajshahi Division. In the past year, the number of cattle and goats in this division has increased more than in any other division. Rajshahi now has 1,333,006 sacrificial cattle, up from 1,222,401 last year—an increase of 110,605. This year, the division also has 2,587,975 sacrificial goats, up by 76,564 from 2,511,393 last year.

Among other divisions, Dhaka saw an increase of 72,759 cattle, reaching a total of 708,964 this year from 636,205 last year. Rangpur Division reported an increase of 29,988 cattle, totaling 775,286 this year compared to 745,298 last year. In Mymensingh, the number rose by 12,030 to 280,512 from 270,203. In Barishal, the count increased by 7,240 to 323,863 from 316,623. In Chattogram, cattle numbers grew by 7,098 to 1,234,050 from 1,226,952.

However, the number of sacrificial cattle has declined in some regions. In Khulna, the number dropped by 23,913 to 538,431 from 562,344. In Sylhet, the figure decreased by 20,142 to 200,516 from 220,658.

According to the DLS, the total number of sacrificial animals this year is 12,447,337—down from 12,980,367 last year. This is a decrease of 533,030 animals. The main reason for this drop is the significant decline in the number of goats, which fell by 768,671 from 6,850,058 last year to 6,081,387 this year.

Meanwhile, the number of sacrificial buffaloes has increased, though the number of sheep has decreased. The number of buffaloes has risen by 48,245 from 160,032 last year to 208,277 this year. On the other hand, the number of sheep has decreased by 10,210—from 767,743 last year to 757,533 this year.

Officials at the Department of Livestock Services have assured that there will be no shortage of animals for Eid sacrifices. Domestic production is sufficient to meet 100% of the demand, and there will be no need to import animals from abroad.

They noted that due to the halt in imports, livestock farms have rapidly expanded across the country. Entrepreneurs of all scales—small, medium, and large—have emerged in the dairy sector. Currently, there are over 1.7 million dairy farms in the country. The number of goat, sheep, and ram farms has also increased, contributing to the steady rise in livestock production over recent years.

Md Shariful Haque, Deputy Director (Farms) of the DLS, said that new entrepreneurs are entering the dairy sector, particularly youth and returnee migrants, who are showing growing interest. As livestock rearing has become more profitable due to the ban on imports in recent years, many are increasingly attracted to this field. Additionally, both households and corporate entities are making significant investments in the sector. As a result, the number of farms and animals has grown. This progress is paying off during Eid-ul-Azha, making Bangladesh self-sufficient in livestock. There will be no shortage of sacrificial animals—rather, an estimated 2.5 to 2.7 million animals may remain surplus even after Eid.