#Title

Rain falls, cattle price drops
HELEMUL ALAM and SHAHEEN MOLLAH
The price of sacrificial animals, especially bulls, at different cattle markets in the capital, saw a slight drop yesterday, compared to the last two days.
Traders blamed the inclement weather since Tuesday morning and poor buyer turnout against a huge supply for the declining prices.
Though the market got momentum yesterday as many visited the spots, the numbers were still low compared to the cattle available at the markets.
“I purchased a bull for Tk 1.60 lakh today (yesterday) from Dhupkhola cattle market. The price of the same animal was around Tk 2 lakh for the past two days,” said Minhazul Abedin of Shorafatganj Lane.
Ahmed Nabi, a resident of East Shewrapara, purchased a bull for Tk 1.48 lakh from Kachukhet cattle market.
“The asking price of similar sized bulls was over Tk 1.80 lakh for the last three days,” he added.
The price of small-sized bulls has dropped by Tk 5,000-10,000, while that of a bull has decreased by Tk 15,000-30,000, said Anowar Hossain of Gandaria.
While the customers were happy with the prices, the traders complained of losses and meagre profits.
They, however, were happy with the customer rush in the last moments before the grand day.
“I have sold a bull for Tk 1.10 lakh today, incurring a loss of Tk 10,000. I had bought the animal for the same price a couple of months ago and also had to invest additionally for its food and transporting it to Dhaka from Faridpur,” said Masud, a victim of the recent Bangbazar fire incident, who brought nine bulls to the Dholaikhal cattle market six days ago.
“I had lost around Tk 30 lakh in the fire and taken up this business, hoping for profits. However, the reality is different,” he added.
“The bull supply this year is higher than the market demands. Thus, the prices are lower,” said Mohammad Shamim, who bought two bulls for Tk 2.5 lakh each but has not been able to sell them yet.
Mohammad Aziz Mollah, a trader of Kazir Hat in Pabna, said he brought 17 bulls to the Kachukhet cattle market three days ago. However, only six of them were sold, at a loss of around Tk 5,000 each.
“I was offered Tk 52,000 for a bull at the local market. But I had to sell the same animal for a loss of Tk 1,000. However, I expect a rush of customers tonight and hope to profit from the remaining ones,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uzzal Mollah, who brought 21 sheep to the Kachukhet market, said he made profits selling his animals.
“I have already sold six sheep, the price of which is between Tk 8,000-11,000. I was able to make profits as fewer sheep were brought to the market this year. I hope to sell all the animals by tomorrow,” said Uzzal, who sold 15 sheep last year.