It have always suspected that if there is no price control on sacrificial animals their prices will reach the sky and beyond. This is exactly what happened this year and devotees looking for sacrificial animals were blown away by the prices they faced of sacrificial animals in the market. Who would have thought that cows would be available in prices that range in millions and the lambs too will not be cheap and not far away from the prices of cows.
According to reports, prices of animals this year increased by 50 to 70 percent.
I ventured to inquire from my butcher the reason for this horrendous price increase, and according to him, basically due to the increase in prices of fodder and of course transport.
The butcher is a smart guy and very knowledgeable and was quick to ask me why some of his customers working in offices have now shifted to their homes. This he said is due to the pressure of prices in gasoline.
Cattle dealers cannot work from home, so they have to pay increased prices of essential items like cattle fodder to recover their costs. Also, he said, the value of money has also gone down and you cannot hope to buy animals at last year’s price or even come near it so this inevitable increase in price.
All this reminded me of my childhood. You will not believe this but in the early days of Pakistan I remember my father bringing a dumba for sacrifice. Take a guess at the price of that dumba. Believe it or not it was priced at Rs.22 only.
People nowadays hardly know the difference between a dumba and a bakra but in those days people preferred dumba over sheep or bakras as we know them these days.
People frowned when they realised that the meat you were distributing is that of a bakra and not a dumba. Much heresy was involved in demeaning bakras. It was rumoured that they carried worms under their skin and their meat was not fit for health.
I would say in those days 80 percent people preferred dumbas over bakras. For the information of present day readers a dumba is the fat tailored sheep known for its distinctive large tail and hind quarters. It is still being bought and sold for the purpose of sacrifice but the goat or bakra is now the animal of choice for most people.
The spiritual fulfillment through sacrifice of animals generates waves in the economy. This year it was a little subdued because of the tense unresolved tensions in the Middle East but still it is estimated that this year too approximately 6.8 to 7.4 million animals will be sacrificed across Pakistan generating massive economic activity valued from Rs. 500 to 750 million. With economic restraints that have direct impact on the common man there are ways to avoid unbearable burden on your pockets. Sharing in an animal is top of the list where as many as 7 people can share in a cow and expect rewards for their deed in the life hereafter.
So you think that once you buy an animal and tie it up in a corner of your house or bungalow the job is done. An utterly wrong assumption because your job is just beginning. You have to ensure a steady flow of grass or whatever the animal prefers as some of the highly priced animals have been fed on exotic mixtures to maintain their weight and quality of meat.
Sometimes I have come across some bewildered souls inquiring from the grass seller which type of grass could be most suited for their goat or cow as it seems that their initial attempts to feed the animal have gone in vain. It is ironic that sometimes the goat or cow you bought just sniffs and rejects your offerings while showing interest in road side wild grass or leaves from a roadside tree.
Anyway, you look at it Eid-ul-Azha is quite an adventure in itself. It requires a lot of patience and hard work from buying to feeding the animal and the final moment of sacrifice. I hope you enjoyed your adventure and are now happily feasting on the fruits of your endeavour.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
The writer is a well-known columnist