City dwellers start buying knives for Eid-ul-Azha

Md Mazadul HoqueCity dwellers have started buying different kinds of knives to slaughter animals and prepare meat for cooking of sacrificial animals as Eid-ul-Azha is drawing near. While visiting city's different markets the FE correspondent found knives for slaughter, chopping, carving, paring, slicing, skiving to name a few and small axes to chop bones are much in demand. "I have to buy chopping boards and mats along with one or two knives," said Basir Ahmed, a buyer in Karwan Bazar. Blacksmiths in different makeshift or permanent shops have been kept on their toes fighting against time to meet the demands of customers. We keep ready all kinds of knives before Eid every year and this year is no exception. We started moulding and making such knives 20 days back. As Eid is just seven days away the demands are increasing, " said Wasim Mondal, a blacksmith in Karwan Bazar. Sharp materials makers told the FE though sales have not picked up as expected, the blacksmiths are hopeful that demands will rise a day before the festival. "Customers come to us after buying the sacrificial animals, and it is obvious that business will increase," said Khokon, of Allahar Daan metal store in Karwan Bazar. We have also planned to set up temporary shops in city's different cow selling places just two days before of Eid which would bring expected profit for us, Khokon also said. But most businessmen told the FE that their sale suffers because of the makeshift shops on the eve of Eid. "Many seasonal businessmen arrive at the last moment to sell their products just beside the cattle markets. This hampers our business," said Rahmatullah, another knife seller. "Round the year, we wait for this Eid to see some profit but the lion share is taken by these makeshift shop owners," he observed. Buyers complained that price hike has also touched the 'knife market' while the sellers said the price hike in raw materials is the main reason behind this. "The price of cast iron spring now costs Tk 150 a kilogram (kg) compared to Tk 120 last year. Besides, the labour cost and house rents have also increased," said Amzat, a businessman in Karwan Bazar. This year the slaughtering knives cost Tk 500 to Tk 1,500 each, small axes cost Tk. 300 each, per piece chapati Tk 250 , per piece boti Tk 300 . Besides, various kinds of small knives are being sold at Tk 200 to Tk 800. Prices of different sizes of chopping boards range from Tk 150 to Tk 400 and price of mats range from Tk 80 to 150. "I brought 500 chopping boards this year, hopefully all these will be sold before Eid," said Chand Miah, a seasonal businessman who brings wood from Jamalpur every year. Besides buying new knives, many customers also come to sharpen or repair the old ones. "Each shop here gets around more than 100 repair orders and the number of knives for sharpening is higher, " said Kamal, another businessmen in New Market. An owner of Soudia Hardware Store at New Market told the FE that customers this year are expressing dissatisfaction over high prices than previous year that is why sale is less than previous time.