Local cattle meet 80pc Eid demand

The country has met around 80 percent of its demand for sacrificial animals this Eid-ul-Azha with locally reared cattle, reducing its dependence on cattle from India, say traders, farmers and livestock officials.

No official estimate is available on how many cattle were sacrificed during this Eid.

However, Bangladesh Meat Merchants' Association (BMMA) Secretary General Robiul Alam said 55 to 57 lakh cattle were slaughtered this Eid, compared to about 55 lakh in the previous year's Eid.

The supply of locally grown cattle was over 42 lakh this time, around two lakh higher than that of last year, he said.

Mohammad Shah Emran, convener of the newly formed Bangladesh Meat and Milk Producers' Association, said the supply of locally farmed cattle was sufficient this year.

More than 80 percent of the demand for sacrificial animals was met with locally reared cattle this year, said Emran, who runs a farm named Shopno Dairy and Fisheries.

According to the BMMA, cattle from India used to meet around 40 percent of the need for sacrificial animals during the Eid before the neighbouring country put restrictions on cattle flow to Bangladesh.

But dependence on cattle from India has been on the decline for the last two years, he said, adding that around eight to nine lakh cattle were brought from India in the month before this Eid.

Last year, locally farmed cattle met around 70 percent of the demand for sacrificial animals, said the BMMA secretary general.

Before this Eid, the Department of Livestock Services had projected that the supply of locally grown cattle would be 44 lakh.

It said farmers this time fattened around 33 lakh cattle against 30 lakh last year.

The DLS is yet to estimate how animals were sacrificed during this Eid.

According to it, 96 lakh animals, including goats, were slaughtered during last year's Eid.

DLS Director General Ajay Kumar Roy said, “The supply of locally grown cattle was adequate. I think locally farmed cattle entirely met the demand for sacrificial animals this Eid.”

The share of cattle brought from India was insignificant. The number of locally reared animals, including goats, ready for slaughter rose to 1.14 crore this year from 1.09 crore last year, he said.

Over the last one and a half years, many cattle farms increased their capacity after beef prices rose in the domestic market for dwindling flow of cattle from India.

According to data of the National Board of Revenue, flow of cattle from India dropped to 11.5 lakh in fiscal 2015-16 from 14 lakh in the previous year.

The number was 21 lakh in fiscal 2013-14.

According to stakeholders, when vigilance in border areas was lax in the past, flow of cattle from the neighbouring country was high and farmers were less enthusiastic about cattle farming.

But they geared up farming as supply from India slumped and beef prices soared.

Early this year, Bangladesh Bank launched a refinance scheme offering low-cost loans with an interest rate of five percent, giving a further boost to cattle farming.

In recent times, cattle farming has seen a rise not only in the well-known cattle farming zones in Pabna and Sirajganj but also in areas surrounding Dhaka as well as some northwest and southwest districts.

This has helped raise the supply of locally grown cattle during the Eid-ul-Azha.

Some traders claimed a sudden rise in cattle supply in the capital on the day before this Eid caused their prices to fall sharply, dashing the hope of many farmers.

The BMMA secretary general said farmers had to take back nearly two lakh cattle, failing to get fair prices because of ample supply of animals in the capital the day before the Eid.

Mohammad Imran Hossain, owner of Sadeeq Agro near Mohammadpur embankment, said prices of cattle dropped by 20-50 percent depending on their size.

Rezaul Karim Daud, a trader from Pabna's Ishwardi, had to take back 39 of the 76 bulls he brought to Dhaka and Narayanganj markets, failing to get buyers.

“It will be tough for me to recover from the losses,” he said, adding that he would have to incur losses up to Tk 12 lakh.

He said the number of buyers fell on the last day before the Eid while the supply of cattle soared.

Traders said cattle supply in the capital increased significantly in the last couple of days before the Eid as many of the cattle-laden trucks that had remained stuck on highways and ferry terminals entered the city.

The DLS director general said cattle prices were high in the first few days but that fell on the last day before the Eid. 

“Many farmers didn't get expected prices for their cattle,” he added. 

Imran of Sadeeq Agro said the supply of cattle was 10-15 percent higher than the demand in the capital, and some big farms near Dhaka couldn't sell half of their cattle meant for the Eid market.

“This year's losses will demoralise farmers and its effect would be felt in the next year's Eid."

Imran said the government should take initiatives to protect the interest of farmers and encourage people to take up cattle farming.