AIRLINK 75.01 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (0.21%)
BOP 5.02 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (0.8%)
CNERGY 4.51 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.45%)
DFML 41.99 Increased By ▲ 1.99 (4.98%)
DGKC 86.69 Increased By ▲ 0.34 (0.39%)
FCCL 21.50 Increased By ▲ 0.14 (0.66%)
FFBL 33.85 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
FFL 9.74 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.21%)
GGL 10.52 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.67%)
HBL 114.50 Increased By ▲ 1.76 (1.56%)
HUBC 139.60 Increased By ▲ 2.16 (1.57%)
HUMNL 11.80 Increased By ▲ 0.38 (3.33%)
KEL 5.20 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-1.52%)
KOSM 4.66 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.65%)
MLCF 37.90 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (0.26%)
OGDC 139.29 Decreased By ▼ -0.21 (-0.15%)
PAEL 26.04 Increased By ▲ 0.43 (1.68%)
PIAA 22.20 Increased By ▲ 1.52 (7.35%)
PIBTL 6.85 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.74%)
PPL 123.61 Increased By ▲ 1.41 (1.15%)
PRL 26.95 Increased By ▲ 0.37 (1.39%)
PTC 14.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.36%)
SEARL 59.50 Increased By ▲ 0.52 (0.88%)
SNGP 68.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.15 (-0.22%)
SSGC 10.47 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (1.65%)
TELE 8.43 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.6%)
TPLP 11.25 Increased By ▲ 0.19 (1.72%)
TRG 64.20 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.02%)
UNITY 26.52 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.11%)
WTL 1.46 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.69%)
BR100 7,943 Increased By 105.9 (1.35%)
BR30 25,684 Increased By 232.6 (0.91%)
KSE100 75,973 Increased By 858.7 (1.14%)
KSE30 24,429 Increased By 314.9 (1.31%)

RAWALPINDI: Business was quieter than usual at one of Pakistan’s biggest livestock markets Friday as an economic crunch stopped customers from buying cows, sheep and goats for the Eid-ul-Azha holiday.

Farmers have been camped at the I-15 cattle market between Islamabad and Rawalpindi for two weeks, hoping to sell their stock, but buyers are scarce.

Pakistan’s economy is in the doldrums, with rampant inflation affecting everything – including holiday spending.

Muhammad Mumtaz, who brought 50 animals to market, still had 30 left to sell.

“Inflation is so high that customers do not have the purchasing power,” he told AFP as he sat on a wooden bed.

“We can’t sell them cheaply,” he added.

“Feed is expensive, wheat is expensive, the truck fare has doubled … so there is nothing left for us.”

Like Muslims elsewhere in the world, Pakistanis usually buy an animal over Eid-ul-Azha, keeping a third for themselves, a third for friends and relatives, and a third for charity.

“Prices are very high,” Khurram Taseer, a bank employee, told AFP after splashing out 140,000 rupees (around $700) for a bullock.

He said his extended family usually bought two cows for the holiday, but this year had cut down to one.

The market is divided into sections according to the type of animal, with bulls selling for Rs100,000 to Rs700,000, while goats and sheep fetch between Rs40,000 and Rs100,000.

The farmers spend time cleaning and grooming the animals, festooning them with floral garlands in the hope of attracting customers.

Still, many would-be buyers left empty-handed.

“Most people are not sacrificing animals because of the prices,” said farmer Mulazim Hussain.

Comments

Comments are closed.