Sacrificial animals’ sale dawdles

Sunday, December 07, 2008

By Jawwad Rizvi

LAHORE: The sale of sacrificial animals is not gaining momentum in the provincial metropolis although Eidul Azha is just two days away. Buyers are going back to their homes without purchasing any sacrificial animal due to the high prices while sellers are reluctant to reduce the prices while anticipating buying spree.The activity of buying sacrificial animals used to pick up in the last week before Eidul Azha in the past. However, high prices and escalating inflation has shrunk the buying power of the common man. The middle class people are participating in sacrifice of cows this year as goats are out of their capacity.In the last week before the Eidul Azha, buyers come out to markets for buying sacrificial animals or at least start a hunt for them, and the goatherds are usually seen engaging in hot negotiation with buyers over the prices. However, this year the goatherds are seen sitting idle and waiting for buyers.The News, in a survey conducted in the different localities of the city, including the Expo Centre (Johar Town), Shahpur Kanjaran, Ghaziaabad Bus Stop, Herbanspura, Saggian Bridge, Peco Road, China Scheme (Shalimar Town), Hamdard Chowk (Township), Daroghawala, Manawan, Baboo Sabu and Bakkar Mandi, found that a large number of animals are seen standing in majority of markets while sellers are waiting for their turn. It has found that in different markets of the city, sellers demand between Rs9,000 and Rs10,000 price for a 15 to 18kg goat. They ask for Rs15,000 to Rs17,000 for a well-built goat of 22 to 25kg and Rs20,000 to Rs25,000 for a goat of 30kg or more weight.Similarly, the asking price for a reasonable cow is Rs35,000 to Rs50,000 and Rs60,000 to Rs90,000 for an extra-ordinarily-built cow depending upon the locality. The price of a camel ranges from Rs30,000 to Rs40,000 in different areas.Interestingly, during bargaining, sellers are not lowering the asking prices of goats as compared to camel and cow. Good bargainers successfully buy a reasonable cow in the range of Rs25,000 to Rs40,000, depending upon the size while for an healthy cow is being sold at Rs60,000 to Rs80,000. In the case of goats, sellers are not reducing the prices, saying that they will sell their goats after Eidul Azha at the meat rate. Those who belong to southern Punjab do not decrease the prices on the pretext that they have to include the expenses they bore while transporting the animals. They claim that they are bound to sell their animals at higher prices to meet their expenses. Rafique, a cattle seller from Sahiwal, was very disappointed with the slow trading. He said it was surprising for him, adding that he had sold all of his stock one day before to Eid last year while this year, only one animal was sold out of 30. He was of the view that only non-serious buyers were coming to the markets to ask for prices of sacrificial animals, and hence the sellers were facing losses due to expenditure on fodder. Some goatherds blamed the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) for slow sale and purchase of sacrificial animals, as they complained that momentum could not pick up due to restrictions imposed by the city government on the free movement of animals in the residential areas and on the roads. It was observed that more animals arrived in the city this year as compared to the last year that’s why there are chances that the prices would decline on the Chand Raat.