In the upcoming holy Eid-ul-Azha, there is a demand of 32,000 cattle in eleven unions and one municipality of Chatmohar. Farmers of Chatmohar have raised 41,000 animals for sale before Eid-ul-Azha. In the meantime, many people have bought sacrificial animals, but the farmers are worried about whether the remaining 9,000 animals will be sold or how they will get the price. Livestock owners say they are not getting the expected price and buyers.
According to the Upazila Livestock Officer's Office, the farmers of the upazila have reared 19,902 cows, 17,580 goats, 3,169 sheep and 490 buffaloes ahead of Eid-ul-Adha. Apart from 3,545 farms in the upazila, many farmers have reared cattle.
According to the farmers, livestock has been reared in Chatmohar for a long time to meet the demand for milk and meat and to facilitate agricultural work. After the decline in plowing with cows, the farmers of the area started rearing bulls and cows. The cost of raising livestock has increased in recent times due to the increase in the price of cattle feed. Even after that, they have kept animals at risk. Farmers in this area usually raise cattle in a natural way. But three months before the sale, they started feeding the animal more nutritious food to make it fat and fresh. The Upazila Livestock Department assisted them in health protection and fattening of cattle.
The sale of sacrificial animals has already started at the new markets of Amritkunda and Chatmohar municipalities in Chatmohar. Last Sunday, goats were sold more than cows at Amritkunda Haat. A cow weighing approximately 5 to 5 pounds has been sold for 1 lakh 10 thousand to 1 lakh 20 thousand rupees. The price of buffalo has been seen to be relatively low. Some farmers have kept a bull for three to four years. It is becoming difficult to find buyers for bulls weighing 20 to 25 pounds.
Munjil Hossain, a cattle farmer from Ramnagar village in the upazila, said the farmers hoped to get a good price for cattle this time. The price of cattle has not gone up as much as the price of animal feed has gone up. Mohaiminul Halim of Baluchar Mahalla and Manimul Islam of Masterpara Mahalla said they have already purchased sacrificial cows. However, they thought the price of cattle was higher.
Upazila Livestock Officer Dr Noor Alam Siddiqui said farmers and ranchers kept more animals than the demand for sacrifice at Chatmohar. Buyers of large cows and buffaloes are going to be less noticed.
The demand for small size animals is high.
