Around 7.35 lakh sacrificial animals are ready in Bogura district ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, up by nearly 8,000 compared to last year while exceeding the local demand.
According to the Bogura District Livestock Office, the number of cattle farmers also increased in the current year who are now counting the days in the hope of big profit centring Eid-ul-Azha.
This year, 48, 453 farmers are keeping these animals at the individual level in 12 upazilas of the district while in the last year, there were 44, 329 cattle farmers in Bogura, providing additional 7,818 cattle for the upcoming market, said the livestock office.
Additional District Livestock Officer of Bogura Dr Mosammot Nashrin Parveen said “This year, a total of 7,34,415 sacrificial animals are ready to be sold which was only 7,26,597 last year. Among the sacrificial animals, 2,70,041 are cows, 4,22,657 goats, 39,851 sheep and garols and 2,266 buffaloes. Last year, the demand for animals was 74,460. This year there is a surplus of 29,155 animals have been prepared in the district.”
However, due to surplus supply and high prices of medicines and fodder, many farmers are apprehensive about getting the expected price. On the contrary, if the prices of sacrificial animals spike excessively, that would impact middle-class buyers negatively. Amid all the concerns, this year’s sacrificial animal farmers and customers are hoping for market control and fair prices.
Some farmers are expecting good prices by rearing indigenous breeds of cows and goats (Australian Friesian, American Brahma Cross, Indian Shahiwal) with natural feed in the district. In addition to small and large farms, many people fatten cows 4 months before the Eid festival.
Farmers said the cost of animal rearing has increased several times due to the increase in the price of fodder and the wages of workers. This will make the prices of sacrificial animals higher than the last year.
Farooq Ahmed, a farmer from Dobaria village of Sadar upazila, said that he started the farm in 2017 with 4 cows and 6 goats. At present, the number of sacrificial cows in his farm is 45 and the number of goats is 62.
Farooq who considers himself a successful farmer, monthly spends around Tk3.70 lakh on his farm and earns Tk5 lakh to Tk6 lakh as net profit annually.
Additional District Livestock Officer of Bogura Dr Mosammot Nashrin Parveen said the local office is operating a campaign to ensure that no one uses harmful chemicals at their farms and individual level in Bogura.
“We are offering all sorts of advice to the farmers to protect their animals from heatstroke this summer. Local farmers will benefit if the demand for domestic cows remains high in the market.”
