High prices due to low supply of sacrificial cattle, fewer buyers

With only twelve days left until Eid-ul-Adha, the cattle markets in Bhuyapur, Tangail have yet to gain momentum. A field visit to several markets reveals that trading of sacrificial animals has barely begun. Local traders say that due to reduced imports of cattle, prices are expected to soar this year, potentially putting cows out of reach for many middle-income buyers. Meanwhile, goat sellers also report a significant drop in the number of customers compared to previous years.

Several buyers at the market said they are struggling to find animals within their budget, forcing them to move from one market to another in search of an affordable sacrificial animal.

Arfi Hasan Talukder, a cattle farmer from Madaria village in Bhuyapur Upazila, shared that last year he sold 268 large cattle ahead of Eid and made a good profit. However, this year, due to lower demand for large and fattened cows and a rise in livestock maintenance costs, he has brought only 150 cows to the market. Of these, 100 were sold early on, but only 4 of the remaining 50 were sold in the last week.

He expressed disappointment at the low prices he is getting for his cattle. His largest cow was initially priced at Tk 2.5 million but was eventually sold for just Tk 1.5 million. Currently, cows weighing 8 to 10 maunds (about 300–375 kg) are being sold for Tk 200,000 to Tk 250,000.

Farmers from Khanurbari in Gobindashi on the banks of the Jamuna River raise their cattle in the open air, feeding them natural grasses, paddy straw, and water hyacinths. They claim to earn up to Tk 500,000 annually from local cows raised from calves.

Farmer Abdul Jalil said, “In addition to natural grasses and water hyacinths, we feed our cows cultivated Napier grass, grain-based feed, and broken rice. This increases our costs. We usually cover those expenses by selling calves. But with the ban on Indian cattle imports this year, the price of local cattle has gone up, reducing the number of buyers.”

Farmers from Charbihari, Charchitlia, and Konabari said they had taken loans from various NGOs and Grameen Bank to start small-scale cattle farms. If sales remain low during Eid, they will face difficulties repaying these loans.

Farmer Zahid explained, “I run a small cattle farm and rely on selling cows during Eid to repay my NGO loan installments and run my household. But with prices rising so sharply, buyers are scarce. Cows that used to sell for Tk 50,000–60,000 are now priced at Tk 75,000 to Tk 100,000. In such conditions, how will small farmers buy cattle, raise them, and still find enough customers to make a profit?”

Traders at Gobindashi cattle market said that around 5,000 traders operate in the area. Shakil Sheikh, one of them, said he took a loan of Tk 600,000 from Grameen Bank to start his cattle business and pays Tk 9,000 in weekly installments. He also took a Tk 100,000 loan from Asha Bank, requiring a weekly installment of Tk 2,500. If sales don't pick up, he fears significant financial losses.