Skyrocketing price of sacrificial animals this year daunts the majority of buyers to perform their religious obligations on fast approaching Eid-ul-Azha as major cattle market of city witnessing manifold rise in the prices of animals including cow, bull, buffaloes, sheep, goat and camels. Visit to the Superhighway cattle market on Sunday reveals the skyrocketing prices even of an ordinary animal, weighing 120 to 160 kilograms.
The market trend shows that most of the faithfuls would not be able to perform the sacrificial ritual due to highly inflated rates," a buyer, told this scribe at the cattle market. It has been seen in market that vendors looked reluctant to bargain with customers due to what they said price hike.
Majority of the people would not be able to perform the sacrificial ritual independently due to highly inflated rates, said Shabir Hussain.
Either I have to opt for combined sacrifice of animal or skip 'Qurbani' this year because rates are 100 percent higher than the last year", he said, adding the prices are out of his purchasing power. Vendors from across the country have put animals on display at the largest cattle-market along the Super Highway just near the Sohrab Goth area, spread over 600 acres. The basic complaint most traders have been making of sacrificial animals for some years is the exorbitant charges they are asked to pay for different services in addition to a high entry fee.
"We are charged Rs 800 and Rs 500 for each big and small animal respectively. Last year, the rate was Rs 650 for a big and Rs 350 for a small animal. If you want a place of your choice, you have to pay Rs 70,000," said one trader wishing not to be named. According to traders, the administration was overcharging them for every single facility from water provision to toilet use.
The administrator of the Market Shahab Ikram when contacted, he said that services include security and lights have been provided to the vendors. Drinking water is available at specific locations but people can also buy it for their convenience. We charge Rs 5,000 for a standard cabin and Rs 10,000 for bigger space," he said, adding that the Malir Cantonment Board paid Rs 700,000 to one society to use its 25-acre land for setting up the market.
He said most of the cows were being transported to the market from areas in southern Punjab, including Rahimyar Khan, Bahawalpur, Multan and Sahiwal. He said most of the sacrificial goats being transported to the cattle market are mainly from areas such as Larkana and Tharoshah". The administrator was optimistic that by Eid-ul-Azha, 200,000 cows and 200,000 goats would have been shifted to the market from different parts of the country. Currently, an average of 150 vehicles, loaded with sacrificial animals, arrive at the market on a daily basis, he said and noted that the administration was charging an entry fee of Rs 800 for a cow and Rs 500 for a goat at the market.
He said that a few days ago, a 'catwalk' for cows was organised at the market in which 50 animals participated. Responding to a query about the average price of a sacrificial animal, he said it depended on the bargaining power of the buyer. However, he added, that an average cow weighing 80 kilograms is being fetched around Rs 40,000, while a goat is being sold at an average price of Rs 20,000. Ikram said 1,500 camels are also brought to the market from some areas of Sindh, especially Tharparkar.
He said special security arrangements had been made at the market, and around 1,200 law enforcers, including police and Rangers, had been deployed in the area. In addition, around 20 surveillance cameras have also been installed for security purposes. "A helicopter service could also be hired for aerial surveillance if the need arises," he added.
The administrator said the entire market was running on self-generated electricity and 70 generators were working to illuminate the area. He said special lighting arrangements had been made at the market. He said that on one side of the Super Highway, a goat section had been established and just opposite of it was the cow section. Ikram also said that car parking facilities for up to 20,000 vehicles had been arranged at both sections of the market. Thirty rupees are being charged for four-wheel vehicles, while Rs 10 is being charged from motorcyclists as the parking fee. He said a bank had already opened two branches on the site, while another would soon open. "The buyers will soon have the facility of ATMs", he added.
When asked about the exorbitant charges, Shahab Ali argued that the much of the amount was spent on provision of the services required by traders.
In Mundi different farmers have brought too expensive and beautiful animals. VVIPs camps for such pretty sacrificial animals have also been set up. The farmers have given names to these animals such as Badshah, Tufan, Suraj Mukkhi and Bhura according to their shape, size and weight and nature. The big pretty Badshah Bull having brown dots on its white colure is standing in Kiran Farm House. The three-year-old Badshah has 800 kilograms weight, a buyer offered 1.6 million rupees but his owner turned it down. The caretaker of the farm Naeem Quraishi told Business Recorder that we have brought some beautiful and heavy weight sacrificial animals and Badshah is 'pretty giant' among them.
He is optimistic that Badshah would be sold at the cost of Rs 1.6 million. Tufan is another bull standing in the VVIP block at the Mundi, attracting several people. Tufan also belongs from Sahiwal generation and was named Tufan (storm), as he was anger by nature. Tufan has also 750 kilograms weight and on sale for Rs 1.5 million. The caretaker of Tufan, Fida Hussain said that he feeds Tufan two litres milk and butter twice a day. He said that hundreds of people visiting his tent daily to have a look of Tufan.
There is a strange animal in the Qadri cattle tent at the market, a black bull with only three legs. The owner of the tent said that this bull is not for sale. A foot-and-a-half tall, a little calf named Choti Dunya (Little World) is on sale for Rs 700,000. Its owner claims that he feeds milk and butter to calf on a daily basis.