Cattle traders get ready for Eid-ul-Azha
Indian cattle enter country illegally through Jessore border areas
Our correspondents, Kushtia, Jessore
Farmers in the district are ready to send sacrificial cattle to the major markets across the country in view of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
The cattle from Kushtia are in high demand as they are available in various sizes.
The farmers complained that they do not get fair prices in the local markets, and so, they send their cattle to different parts of the country, even though they face problems in doing so.
The farmers take special care of the animals in their houses in the hope of making more profits.
They have been doing brisk business for the past 10 years rearing sacrificial cattle and thereby improving their economic condition.
According to the livestock office in Kushtia, there are 20,586 farmhouses in the district. There are 4,515 farms in Kushtia Sadar upazila, the highest in the district.
The farmers of the upazila have reared 16,046 cows.
There are 4,351 farms in Daulatpur upazila and the farmers have reared 14,178 cows. There are 4,198 farms in Kumarkhali upazila and the farmers have reared 13,250 cows. There are 8,016 cows at 3,106 farms in Khoksha upazila. There are 13,739 cows at 2,737 farms in Mirpur upazila and 8,279 cows at 1,700 farms in Bheramara upazila.
Also, there are some farms in different villages in the district.
Buyers from across the country have already started arriving in Kushtia to buy the animals. They usually buy cattle that are large in size to make more profits.
Iliyas Hossain, a farmer from Haruria village of Patikabari union under Sadar upazila, said: I have already sold 154 big-sized cows at good prices.
Jasim Mondol, a farmer from Alchara union in Sadar upazila, said: Of the 98 cows in my farms, I sold 20 cows to a businessman from Chittagong.
A total of 150,000 cattle in the district has been readied for different markets to meet the local demand on the occasion of the holy Eid-ul-Azha.
Of them, the number of cows is 90,000 and the number of goats is 60,000.
The farmers have said that the demand of animals for the Eid-ul-Azha could be met with supplies from local markets.
Animals imported from India and Myanmar hamper the local business and if the government allows animals from India and Myanmar in the local markets, the local farmers will be affected, they said.
Our Jessore correspondent adds: With the Eid-ul-Azha not far away, the entry of cattle into the country from India is on the rise through different border areas in Jessore. Local farmers are worried over the imported cattle as they have enough stocks to meet the demand for the sacrificial animals. A total of 68,100 animals is ready for sale for Eid-ul-Azha from eight upazilas of the district. Among the 35,700 cattle, 29,300 are goats and 3,000 are rams.
Cattle are coming through several khathals (cowsheds) along the border areas of Jessore district.
Large numbers of animals from India are entering into Bangladesh legally and illegally.
According to Suma Moni, Customs inspector at Navaron corridor, Jessore, over 3,000 cows and 1,000 goats were imported from India this month.
Moni said some 300-400 Indian cattle, mostly cows, currently enter the country through Navaron corridor every day. The cattle supply from India is likely to increase significantly in the coming days before the Eid, he added.
Local traders are also bringing the cattle from India, illegally dodging the border guards of the two countries, a Customs official said requesting anonymity.
Lt. Col. Md Tarikul Hakim, commanding officer of Border Guard Bangladesh-21 (BGB-21), said: Around 300 to 400 cows are getting into the country legally from India every day, but were monitoring them strictly to stop the illegal entry of Indian cattle.
