Traders wait for sales to pick up
With Eid-ul-Azha only three days away, selling of sacrificial animals was not upto traders' expectation till yesterday.
Customers at different markets said they would buy their sacrificial animals further observing the prices.
“I will see if the prices decrease in the next two days, and probably buy one before the Eid day,” said Rimon Khan, who came to Gabtali market from Mirpur.
Alongside Gabtali, the only permanent cattle market in the capital, the two city corporations have also authorised 19 makeshift markets at several designated points in the city.
Although the makeshift markets will officially open today, traders had started to put up their cattle for sale at different places, including the designated ones, for the last several days.
Sentu Mollah, a car mechanic at Shajahanpur, said he had been visiting the market at Kamalapur for the last few days to buy a small-size bull.
“The price is reasonable here but I think it will go down further. So, I will wait for another day,” he said.
Moreover, thinking of space constraint at rented houses and the extra hassle of taking care of the animal, many city dwellers prefer to buy those at the eleventh hour.
“It is really difficult to keep a bull on the narrow alley where I live, while the landlord does not allow keeping the animal at the parking space,” said Siddiqur Rahman, a banker from Tejkunipara.
Traders apprehend that they would not be able to sell their bulls and goats without losing some capital, as cattle in truckloads kept arriving throughout the day.
“I have brought 16 bulls worth about Tk 7 lakh but have not sold even one yet. I have a feeling that I may not be able to sell those for over Tk 5 lakh, as there is very little demand this year,” said Hafizul Islam, who came from Pabna to Shajahanpur market on Thursday.
Echoing Hafizul's view, Seikh Sirajuddin, who brought 13 large bulls to Gabtali from Kushtia, said the situation, so far, is worse than the last year.
The prices of his bulls range between Tk 4 and 15 lakh, he added.
Meanwhile, authorities at different markets were collecting Hasil (service tax to be paid by customers) at different rates.
At Gabtali, the rate was Tk 35 (per 1,000) while at Agargaon it was Tk 50.
They have also set up fake currency detectors with the help of several bank officials.
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