Sales of meat processing materials move up ahead of festival

The sales of knives and choppers for processing meat of sacrificial animals during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha have gained momentum at different blacksmith shops in the capital.
Besides, sales of tree trunks and mats (hogla) also increased on the day.
Visiting different blacksmith shops at Karwan Bazar, Badamtali, Mugdapara, Jatrababri and Khilgaon Bazar, the FE correspondent found blacksmiths passing busy time in making different sizes of knives and choppers from iron metal.
They (blacksmiths) were flattening unprocessed iron rods with hamper for making knives, choppers and other materials used for meat processing during Eid to be celebrated on Saturday.
In the past, blacksmiths used to make knives, choppers, spades and axes with manually-used hopper for heating the iron rod for making the items.
But over the years, a motor-charged machine is now replaced with the manually-used hopper for heating the raw iron rod.
The blacksmiths term motor-charged machine as a 'buller' where air is constantly passing on to the coal-based fire where unprocessed iron rod is heated.
When the rod gets extremely heated and red colour, then the blacksmiths pull the rod from the fire and set it on a small piece of railway track and use hamper to forcefully prepare different sizes of knives, choppers, spades and axes.
The blacksmiths said they used to sell the items more during Eid-ul-Azha compared to other times of the year.
Md Alauddin, a blacksmith at Mugdapara Bazar, told the FE on the day that they are passing very busy time as a large number of customers visited his shop for purchasing knives, choppers and other essential items used for meat processing during Eid.
Besides, some customers also came to sharpen their old knives and choppers.
He said prices of meat processing materials made of iron depend on weight and quality.
"I purchased a set of knives and choppers at a cost of Tk 2,000 for processing meat during Eid- ul-Azha," Md Toufiq, a private service holder, told the FE at Mugdapara Bazar on the day.
A set of materials (depending on weight and quality) were sold at between Tk 1,500 and Tk 4,000. Mat was selling at between Tk 130 and Tk 150 while trunk between Tk 200 and Tk 500.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com