The sales of animal slaughtering equipments and accessories have gained momentum across the capital ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha, to be celebrated on Sunday.
Different types of slaughtering tools, like sharp knife, machete (chapati), kitchen knife (boti), log seat (khatia) and mat (chatai), are now being sold in the markets and temporary makeshift shops.
Blacksmiths in most of the city areas are passing a busy time in manufacturing and selling these tools.
They said they have to produce and sell the equipments in a large scale - following high demand from wholesalers and customers.
Meanwhile, the prices of slaughtering tools and accessories have almost doubled this year compared to the previous Eid-ul-Azha, according to traders and customers.
Blacksmiths attributed high prices of raw materials behind the price hike.
Apart from the permanent markets in the capital, the FE correspondent found seasonal traders were also displaying and selling slaughtering tools and accessories in different areas and near the cattle markets, considering high demand of the items to customers.
Md Sohel, a trader at Kaptan Bazar in the city, told the FE on Thursday that they were expecting to sell a large number of slaughtering tools and accessories this year.
They could not do business properly during the last Eid-ul-Azha due to onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent restrictions, he added.
Standard slaughtering knives were selling between Tk 1,000 and Tk 1,500 each depending on quality, while special machete prices ranged from Tk 800 to Tk 1,000 each and typical machete between Tk 450 and Tk 500 each in different city markets on Thursday.
On the other hand, sacrificial animal skinning knives were trading at prices between Tk 100 and Tk 150 each, and Chinese axe between Tk 600 and Tk 800 each.
A piece of mat (chatai) was being sold at prices between Tk 300 and Tk 400 each, while log-seat made of old tamarind wood prices ranged from Tk 450 to Tk 700 each on the day.
The traders said they were getting a good response from the customers and expecting to draw higher number of clients by tomorrow (Saturday).
"We are getting a good response from the customers. So far sales of slaughtering tools are satisfactory," Jahir Mia, a trader at Karwan Bazar, told the FE.
Meanwhile, expressing dissatisfaction over the high prices of slaughtering tools and accessories, most of the customers said they had nothing to do but purchase those for processing their sacrificial animals.
"I purchased some slaughtering tools at high prices to process our sacrificial animal," Md Khalilullah, a non-government high school teacher, told the FE at Fakirapool in the city.
Apart from purchasing new slaughtering tools, many people were also seen sharpening their old ones by mobile traders in different areas across the capital.
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