SIALKOT-The high prices of sacrificial animals are keeping the buyers away from the animals in the markets established in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial, Uggoki, Satrah, Daska, Chawinda, Badiana and Pasrur.
Though Eidul Azha is now fast approaching, the sacrificial animals including goats, sheep, cows, bulls and even camels are reaching in a small number that is major cause behind their high prices.
The scarcity of spread of Congo virus has also perturbed the vendors and even the buyers. Most of the people were of the view that they will go to the local markets of the sacrificial animals to buy, as they were hopeful that the prices of the animals will go down a few days before the Eid.
A vendor Khalid Mehmood from Sadiqabad brought his bull namely “Sultan” at Sialkot market for sale. He announced price of the bull Rs1.5 million.
People said that the prices of these sacrificial animals are very high as compared to last year’s prices. They said that prices were out of the reach of the common man and persuade them to join the collective scarifies.
According to the lucrative banners displayed there, religious organisations have offered packages for collective sacrifices of cow at Rs15,000 to 20,000 per share. Some daily wagers said that these packages were also very unaffordable for them following the sky-rocketing price hike in the country. However, they would try to afford the offer of sharing cost of animals, they said.
On the other hand, the trend of the collective sacrifices is gaining momentum as the people prefer to participate in the cost-sharing due to the rising prices of the animals.
The traders set up their markets on the grounds in congested residential and commercial areas of Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial, Bhopalwala, Uggoki, Satrah, Pasrur, Chawinda, Badiana and surrounding areas as well. They claimed that there was almost 60 percent increase in the prices of animals as compared to their last year’s prices due to which it had become very hard for the common man to perform the obligation.
The price of a normal sized goat was between Rs25,000 to 30,000 and of a normal sized cow was between Rs50,000 to 100,000. The rates of the goat were also very high and the traders and middlemen demand big prices.
Sargodha-based vendor Abdul Ghani said that the number of animals was very short at in the markets due to which their prices were high keeping away the people from these markets.
Another middleman Khalid Iqbal from Mianwali said that the prices of the camel have also soured up to a great extant.
Daska-based trader Tariq said that there was a shortage of the sacrificial markets. Several people are still hopeful that the prices of the sacrificial animals will again come down when the animals from the other cities reach there.
The animal traders were of the view that the local administration has shifted the markets to the outskirts of the urban areas in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial, Pasrur and surrounding areas. Due to which, the people were reluctant to go to the Bakra Mandies located out of the city-areas. The situation was also showing the less-rush of the buyers.