With a day to go before Eid-ul-Azha, cattle traders and buyers offer conflicting views on livestock pricing. Traders claim they are not receiving fair prices for their animals, while buyers argue that prices are higher than last year.
Traders attribute the high prices to the significant increase in the cost of livestock feed over recent years, making it difficult to rear cattle across the country.
During a visit to Gabtoli haat on Sunday afternoon, buyers were seen taking sacrificial animals home, with cow-laden trucks continuously arriving at the market.
Enayet Hossain, who purchased a medium-sized brown cow for Tk80,000, said, "The price of cows has come down to some extent compared to yesterday, but it is still high," as he led his purchase along Gabtoli Road.
Similarly, Nazrul Islam, who bought a medium-sized cow for Tk90,000, said, "There were sufficient cows in the haat, but the sellers do not want to sell at a fair price. The price is still high; they do not want to lower it," as he hurried back to Pirerbag in Mirpur.
In contrast, the cow sellers at Gabtoli haat claim they are forced to sell their cows at minimal prices.
Fazlul Haque Sagar, who brought nine cows from Singair in Manikganj and has already sold six since Thursday, expressed his frustration. "We have been incurring a loss of Tk5,000-7,000 per cow," said Fazlul, standing beside his three remaining black cows.
He plans to sell the remaining cows for Tk1,40,000 to Tk1,45,000 each.
Meanwhile, Aslam from Hazaribag was seen taking a medium-sized cow he purchased for Tk1,10,000.
"The price of cows is lower today compared to yesterday, but there aren't enough cows in the Hazaribag haat," remarked Aslam.
