Cattle traders fear losses

Eid-ul-Azha is just eight days away, but fears of losses like last year have discouraged many traders to bring sacrificial animals to markets in Dhaka.
The number of customers is still small—a letdown for the traders. They are bringing fewer animals to markets than last year.
The sellers counted huge losses last year due to early purchases by buyers and late availability of cattle.
Numerous cattle markets sprang up in different districts, especially in border areas this year, bringing down the prices of the animals, traders said.
Abdur Razzak, a cattle trader who brought 33 cows from Kushtia to Gabtoli, said he bought one for Tk 40,000, down from about Tk 50,000 last year.
"I faced a loss of Tk 12 lakh last year, as I had to take the unsold 23 cows back to my village.”
“I brought them back to the Gabtoli market to sell after Eid,” Razzak said.
Azizur Rahman, a resident of Mirpur, said he bought a goat from the Gabtoli market at Tk 9,500 yesterday, which is Tk 1,000 less than last year. Another trader, Nur Mohammad of Manikganj, brought a camel at the Gabtali market and added a price tag of Tk 14 lakh with the animal.
“I brought it to the market last year also, but did not get satisfactory offers then.”
This year, the two parts of the City Corporation—South and North—are going to set up 19 makeshift cattle markets, which will start functioning four days before the Eid.