PESHAWAR – As the Muslims commemorate Eidul Azha, the second Muslim ritual, in the next month, the business of sacrificial animals gain momentum in the city with comparatively higher prices than the previous years.
During a market survey conduced by this scribe, it was found in different cattle markets that the visitors were more in number than buyers as most of them came to the markets to have an idea about the prices, however traders are expecting that the sale of cattle will speed up as Eid becoming closer.
The businessmen of Punjab and Sindh provinces besides domestic traders have also brought their animals in large number to the lucrative market of Peshawar, which attracts buyers not only from Khyber Pakthunkhwa and Fata but also from neighboring Afghanistan.
“Since last Sunday, I have sold only 15 goats out of 50 available with me atFirdus market. Buyers mostly come to markets to take idea about the prices and then return empty hands,” said Mosa Khan, a cattle trader Pachagai road.
Nearly 30 days ahead of Eidul Azha, sacrificial animals have started pouring into local markets but the prices are very high.
I will buy goat in the last days nearing Eid with a hope that the prices may go down,” Sajid Mehmood, a buyer from Peshawar district said when asked at a local cattle market near Peshawar.
He said prices of cattle this year are very high as compared to the last year.
Due to high prices of sacrificial animals, the low paid salaried class and low income groups are being attracted to cost-sharing animals to perform the religious obligation.
Apart from domestic traders, inter-provincial businessmen dealing in cattle heads are bringing their stocks to Peshawar to got high prices in the wake of Eidul Azha.
“We have no choice but to import cattle from the Punjab to ensure availability of sacrificial animals on reasonable rates to people,” he said, adding that around 75 percent cattle are being brought form Punjab to fulfill the people’s demands.
There is a need for tripartite export agreement between Pakistan, India and Afghanistan to meet people requirements of beef, milk and sacrificial animals, the official of livestock department suggested.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has established several checkpoints with the assistance of political administration at various places on highways connecting KPK with Fata to control the menace of cattle smuggling,” he added.
The government has also requested the political administration to ensure strict vigilance on all the entry and exit points in the province to control the menace of cattle smuggling.
Goats were being sold at comparatively higher prices than the sheep. A goat of average size and build was priced above Rs 5000, while the sheep were available for comparatively reasonable rates.
Three types of sheep were available in the market Bulkhi (Afghani), Hashtnagri (local) and Punjabi with the Bulkhi ones being cheaper than the other types.
Despite high prices of larger sacrificial animals, most people preferred to buy cows or buffaloes, mainly because they could share the cost.
It is worth mentioning here that previously, prices of the cattle market was recorded much low as compared to this year, there is severe need to control the smuggling of cattle to afghan market to manage the prices of sacrificial animal.