RAJSHAHI, Sept 28: The sales and bargaining of sacrificial animals in the cattle-hats of Rajshahi is yet to be geared up despite only a week is left for the approaching Holy Eid-ul-Azha.
Though there is sufficient supply of sacrificial animals including bulls, goats and buffalos, the cattle traders are not happy with the turn out of purchasers of those at various hats and markets. Meanwhile, the price of sacrificial cattleheads is also comparatively lower so far and the cattle traders complained, they are incurring loss at the present market rate of animals.
However, sources informed, the trading at the cattle hats are increasing gradually.
For the last one decade, no market for sacrificial animals was being set up under Rajshahi City Corporation area. Only the City Haat for sacrificial animals is managed by Rajshahi City Corporation which is also situated at the outskirt of the city. The city haat is now the largest haat for sacrificial animals in the district.
Cattle traders at Rajshahi City Haat hope, the haats of the district will get sufficient customers as soon as the Eid holiday starts and the employees and officials of various offices and institutions get their salaries. A huge number of people who work in various places outside Rajshahi are expected to return here and join their families to observe Eid and markets will gear up during that period.
During last week, the price of a sacrificial bull was minimum Tk 25,000, informed Atiqur Rahman Kalu, a wholesale cattle trader of City Haat informed. Both the traders and consumers are somewhat happy with the present market price of cattleheads, he said.
However, he lamented that the banks have not yet set up machines to identify forged notes that is why they themselves have set up such machines in several points of the haat. Moreover, they were always trying to tackle the middlemen, snatchers and cheats at the haat.
He hoped, there will be a regular cattle haat from Monday.
Selling of sacrificial animals at Naohata hat of Paba, Kesorhat of Mohanpur, Chowbaria of Tanore, Taherpur of Bagmara, Durgapur hat, Puthia hat, Banswar hat and Kantakhali hat has not yet been geared up.
Department of Animal Resources, Rajshahi was working to check selling of ill, diseased and artificially fattened cattleheads in the haats of Rajshahi, Dr. M. Mijanur Rahman, Animal Resource Officer of Rajshahi informed, a three-member team headed by a surgeon has been formed in each upazila to control selling of diseased, ill and artificially fattened cattleheads.
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