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Published : 21 Aug 2016, 21:31:29
3.5 miliion cows ready for sale in Eid-ul-Azha
Yasir Wardad
Cattle traders and market operators hope for enough supply of sacrificial animals on the occasion of upcoming Eid-ul-Azha as a good number of people have entered the business due to growing demand and handsome profits last year.
Involvement of a large number of farmers and traders in cattle farming would further help reduce the country's dependency on imported animals ahead of such biggest festival.
More than 3.5 million cows have been reared for sale this year on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha which is 40 per cent higher than that of last year, official data showed.
Md Arifur Rahman, a cattle farm owner at Jaldhaka upazila in Nilphamari, said farmers sold cattle and made handsome profits during Eid-ul-Azha last year which encouraged many others to enter the business.
"Last year I reared four oxen, but I have been rearing 18 oxen this year," he said, adding that he was feeding the cows with straw, grass, pulses bran (bhushi), oil cake and tree leaves etc.
He said the demand for local cows is higher than that of foreign or chemically-treated-fattened ones.
Mr Rahman bought these oxen at Tk 22,000 each and it cost him minimum Tk 7,000 to feed and look after an animal.
He was expecting to earn Tk 15,000-Tk 17,000 as profit from sale of each animal before Eid.
However, traders in Rangpur, Bogra, Sirajganj, Pabna, Narsingdi, Munshiganj, Kushtia, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga and elsewhere in the country are passing busy time to fulfil orders from Dhaka and Chittagong.
Md Shariful, a trader of Darshana in Chuadanga, on Saturday came to Gabtoli cattle market, the permanent cattle market in the city.
Talking to the FE, he said a local cow weighing 90-100 kilograms is now selling at Tk 34,000-Tk 35,000, which was Tk 28,000-Tk 30,000 a year back.
Price of an Indian variety of the same weight is Tk 20,000-Tk 22,000, he said.
Mr Shariful said he stopped importing cows from India after killing of one of his relatives on the border by Border Security Force (BSF) of India.
Director General of Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Ajay Kumar Roy told the FE that cattle production witnessed a tremendous growth just in one and a half years due to increase in demand.
He said handsome prices for animals in local market have been encouraging many others to return to the business again.
The cattle farmers across the country are ready to sell more than 3.5 million cows on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. The demand for cows during Eid is almost same, he added.
Nearly 7.0 million goats and sheep have also been reared for the festival, he said, adding that farmers have been able to rear 1.0 million more cows thanks to booming commercial farms across the country.
He also said more than 50,000 small and medium-sized farms have emerged in the country in last one and a half years.
The government has launched a loan scheme under which cattle farmers can get loan at 5 per cent interest rate, he said.
DLS officials said 2.3 million cows were imported in the fiscal year 2014 which has declined to 0.5 million in the FY'16.
According to DLS, the country has a total of 24.5 million cattle including cows and buffaloes.
DLS data revealed that 10.9 million animals, including 3.3 million cows, were sacrificed on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha in the country last year.
Bangladesh Tanners Association president Shaheen Ahmed said the local leather industry is largely dependent on imported cows.
"Supply of local animals should be increased to keep the leather sector vibrant," he added.
Bangladesh Meat Traders Association secretary general Md Rabiul Alam told the FE that prices of local cows are now 20-25 per cent higher than that of a year ago.
He said beef is now selling at Tk 380-Tk 440 per kg across the country which was Tk 340-Tk 380 per kg a year ago.
He said restriction on cattle export by neighbouring India might have caused hike in beef prices, but it could ultimately help Bangladesh to be self-sufficient in cattle.
"We expect 0.5 to 0.6 million cattle may be brought to Bangladesh from India on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha," he said.
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2016/08/21/42943/3.5m-cows-ready-for-sale-in-Eid-ul-Azha
3.5 miliion cows ready for sale in Eid-ul-Azha
Yasir Wardad
Cattle traders and market operators hope for enough supply of sacrificial animals on the occasion of upcoming Eid-ul-Azha as a good number of people have entered the business due to growing demand and handsome profits last year.
Involvement of a large number of farmers and traders in cattle farming would further help reduce the country's dependency on imported animals ahead of such biggest festival.
More than 3.5 million cows have been reared for sale this year on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha which is 40 per cent higher than that of last year, official data showed.
Md Arifur Rahman, a cattle farm owner at Jaldhaka upazila in Nilphamari, said farmers sold cattle and made handsome profits during Eid-ul-Azha last year which encouraged many others to enter the business.
"Last year I reared four oxen, but I have been rearing 18 oxen this year," he said, adding that he was feeding the cows with straw, grass, pulses bran (bhushi), oil cake and tree leaves etc.
He said the demand for local cows is higher than that of foreign or chemically-treated-fattened ones.
Mr Rahman bought these oxen at Tk 22,000 each and it cost him minimum Tk 7,000 to feed and look after an animal.
He was expecting to earn Tk 15,000-Tk 17,000 as profit from sale of each animal before Eid.
However, traders in Rangpur, Bogra, Sirajganj, Pabna, Narsingdi, Munshiganj, Kushtia, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga and elsewhere in the country are passing busy time to fulfil orders from Dhaka and Chittagong.
Md Shariful, a trader of Darshana in Chuadanga, on Saturday came to Gabtoli cattle market, the permanent cattle market in the city.
Talking to the FE, he said a local cow weighing 90-100 kilograms is now selling at Tk 34,000-Tk 35,000, which was Tk 28,000-Tk 30,000 a year back.
Price of an Indian variety of the same weight is Tk 20,000-Tk 22,000, he said.
Mr Shariful said he stopped importing cows from India after killing of one of his relatives on the border by Border Security Force (BSF) of India.
Director General of Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Ajay Kumar Roy told the FE that cattle production witnessed a tremendous growth just in one and a half years due to increase in demand.
He said handsome prices for animals in local market have been encouraging many others to return to the business again.
The cattle farmers across the country are ready to sell more than 3.5 million cows on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. The demand for cows during Eid is almost same, he added.
Nearly 7.0 million goats and sheep have also been reared for the festival, he said, adding that farmers have been able to rear 1.0 million more cows thanks to booming commercial farms across the country.
He also said more than 50,000 small and medium-sized farms have emerged in the country in last one and a half years.
The government has launched a loan scheme under which cattle farmers can get loan at 5 per cent interest rate, he said.
DLS officials said 2.3 million cows were imported in the fiscal year 2014 which has declined to 0.5 million in the FY'16.
According to DLS, the country has a total of 24.5 million cattle including cows and buffaloes.
DLS data revealed that 10.9 million animals, including 3.3 million cows, were sacrificed on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha in the country last year.
Bangladesh Tanners Association president Shaheen Ahmed said the local leather industry is largely dependent on imported cows.
"Supply of local animals should be increased to keep the leather sector vibrant," he added.
Bangladesh Meat Traders Association secretary general Md Rabiul Alam told the FE that prices of local cows are now 20-25 per cent higher than that of a year ago.
He said beef is now selling at Tk 380-Tk 440 per kg across the country which was Tk 340-Tk 380 per kg a year ago.
He said restriction on cattle export by neighbouring India might have caused hike in beef prices, but it could ultimately help Bangladesh to be self-sufficient in cattle.
"We expect 0.5 to 0.6 million cattle may be brought to Bangladesh from India on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha," he said.
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2016/08/21/42943/3.5m-cows-ready-for-sale-in-Eid-ul-Azha
