Prices of sacrificial animals on the rise

As Eid-ul-Azha draws near, the prices of sacrificial animals have gone up at the district cattle markets in the upper Sindh. However, in the flood-stricken areas of lower Sindh districts, the prices are relatively
lower.

Livestock traders form a number of cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad and Gujranwala, have horded in these rain-wrecked districts of lower Sindh to start extensive purchase of sacrificial animals. They have established
their camps in these areas to buy livestock at lower prices and send them onward to their home towns to fetch better prices.

According to Dr. Gulam Sarwar, Director General Sindh Livestock Department, the recent floods have eaten up round about 232,000 small animals in different districts of Sindh. He further told that the remaining animals have also
lost their weight in the rain-ravaged areas due to non-availability of chaff and grass.

The desert areas of Sindh are suffering from lack of water and grass for the animals to graze, forcing the cattle owners to start moving their herds to the areas of Badin, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar, Sangar, Tando Mohammad Khan
and Shaheed Benazirabad, where flood water has ebbed. Sarwar told that the remaining 250,000 to 300,000 animals in the desert areas would be shifted to safer places within a week.

Due to reduced weights of the animals, prices for livestock have fallen sharply in the lower Sindh regions. The cattle owners with fewer cattle heads are the ones suffering the most from these drastic situations.

Abdul Haq Notkani, one of the badly affected cattle owner of Badin district, grieved upon the fact that eight of his 20 animals have perished in the recent flood and he had shifted the remaining 12 to Nagar Parker of Thar area.
After water receded from his hometown, he brought them back to Badin but they were not in good health, leaving him with no option but to sell his animals at a lower process to the market rates.

There are countless similar stories like Andul Haq Notkani all over the flood-ruined areas of Sindh and the owner are grieved upon their loss in profit from the sale of sacrificial animals. On the other hand, livestock dealers
of upper Sindh and Punjab are fully exploiting this opportunity by buying cheaper animals from those helpless cattle owners and making good profit by selling them at higher prices in their home towns.

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Posted by Farhan Hameed on Oct 26 2011. Filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry