LAHORE: As Eid-ul-Adha approaches, people flocked to cattle markets in droves to purchase sacrificial animals, but many of the animals remain unsold due to their excessive pricing.
After receiving their salaries, government and private sector workers visited the markets on Wednesday, the first official holiday. However, most of them appeared to be complaining about exorbitant animal prices, while cattle vendors asserted that a lack of supply from the provinces of Punjab and Sindh was to blame for the high prices. “Cattle markets attract many people, but just a handful are serious buyers. Some vendors told APP that most customers inquire about costs, take pictures of the animals, and then leave.
As for the other sacrificial animals, cattle sellers claimed that wealthy people chose goats and sheep for health reasons due to their concern that the other animals would be afflicted with cattle skin disease. A trip to various selling locations also revealed that a medium-sized cow and calf cost Rs 140,000 and Rs 300,000, while a goat, sheep, or lamb of average size costs Rs 65,000 and Rs 75,000.
Imran Ali, a cattle trader from Narang Mandi, said that shipping animals from south Punjab to places like Lahore, Rawalpindi, or Faisalabad had become expensive. When asked about the exorbitant charges, he responded that while a truck transporting animals from Mithan Kot and Dera Ghazi Khan to Lahore last year would charge between Rs 48,000 and 50,000, this year, they were asking between Rs 95,000 and 100,000 for the same service. This year, the local government and caretaker setup provided improved security, cleanliness, animal health, and other facilities. Still, the impacts of the heavy rain on Monday morning took until Wednesday to wash out.
Ibrahim Murad, The Minister for Local Government & Community Development (LG&CD), had already instructed that only healthy animals should be allowed to be brought to the cattle markets. At the same time, the entry points of cities should be sprayed to prevent the Congo virus. This was done considering the security measures regarding the Congo virus and lumpy skin diseases. The city and the city’s livestock markets were serviced by the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), which also set up a control room for cleanliness operations during the three Eid days.
To make it easier for individuals to buy sacrificed animals for Eid-ul-Azha, the Department of Local Government established 118 cow marketplaces and 182 cattle-selling stations across the province. –APP
