A large number of cattle farmers and cattle farm owners of various upazilas of the district are in deep worry with their stock of cattle heads they failed to sell those at a fair price during the last Eid-ul-Azha.
Due to a very low price of the sacrificial animals, many of the cattle farm owners and farmerss did not sell their cattle heads in the recent Eid markets. Still, the price of those cattleheads is low and the farmers are finding it difficult to manage fund for rearing of those fully grown up cattle heads further.
According to sources, cattle heads farmers in Durgapur upazila under Rajshahi district have been engaged in fattening bulls and cows for a long time and it is their main business to rear bulls and cows throughout the year, grow those up and sell those during the Eid-ul-Azha. But a very low price of sacrificial cattle heads during the last two years due to the Corona virus pandemic their backbones have been broken.
In Paba Upazila, a large number of cattle heads were reared by the farm owners to sell those during the Eid market. Abu Zafar of Naohata village of the upazila said, according to the advice of the upazila livestock officials, the cattle farmers and farmers of the upazila were feeding their stocks with chaffs of various pulses, cooked rice's left out, oil-cakes, straw and green-grass and did not use low cost chemical laced feed.
As a result, it costs more to rear the animals. But, for the last two years, they were not getting proper price of the sacrificial animals. This year, many cattle farmers have brought back their cattle head from the markets because of not getting proper price ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha. Now, the Eid-ul-Azha is over and the price of cattle is still low.
Hasem of Mohishalbari village under Godagari upazila said, “We cannot leave those innocent cattleheads without feeding. Due to the incessant rainfall, the price of fodders like straw and chaffs has been increased abnormally but getting no way; we have to feed those animals timely. Those are fully grown and fit for selling but the price is very low that is why we have no way but to rear those further”.
Minarul Islam (40), a cattle farmer of Alipur village under Durgapur sadar upazila informed their paternal business the cattle rearing and fattening for a long time. Every year, by rearing cattle heads, they earn a huge profit. But, last year they failed to sell their cattle heads properly due to Corona virus pandemic and also this year they failed to earn any profit by selling sacrificial animals during the Eid-ul-Azha.
Rajshahi City Hat market lease holder Babu said, there was no sufficient sell of cattle heads at the hat during the recent Eid-ul-Azha and the price of cattle heads was very low. There is still a temporary ban on setting up cattle markets due to Corona virus pandemic, as a result, cattle farmers are in a deep anxiety. They are apprehending a huge loss by rearing cattle heads in farms like that of the last year.
Durgapur Upazila Animal Resource Office sources informed, the farmers fattened and reared more than 20,000 cattle heads commercially in seven unions and in Durgapur Sadar Upazila last year. Cattle traders and farmers hoped they would be able to sell their cattle heads in local hats and markets and would also send those various places of the country after meeting the local demand. They had targeted to sell their cattle heads mainly during the Eid-ul-Azha. But, by getting no fair price, many were forced to sell their cattle heads in loss while many others took return of their stocks to the farms.
Now, with the returned cattle heads, the farm owners are in worry of incurring further loss in future. They said, the cattle heads are now all grown up and fit to sell in the market. Many fully grown cattle heads are left with their farms which they failed to sell during the recent Eid-ul-Azha. Now, they are not finding any place to sell those.
The Agriculture and the Animal resource officials are, however, advising the cattle farmers and cattle traders to sell their cattle head through online. But, more than 99 percent of the traders and rears having no idea about the online markets and the process of transaction of money are in deep anxiety and crisis with their reared cattle heads. They are demanding to the government to take measure to sell their unsold cattle heads at a fair price otherwise they will incur a huge loss.