Online Desk :

About 16.20 lakh sacrificial animals are available against the demand of 11.07 lakh animals for Eid-ul-Azha in the division. Department of Livestock Services (DoLS), Khulna, Director Dr Mohammad Lutfar Rahman told BSS that this year the demand for sacrificial animals is around 11.07 whereas last year it was around 8.29 lakh. But this year, there are 16.20 lakh animals ready to minimise the price of the sacrificial animals ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

Now 100 per cent of the demand can be met with local animals as the division will have a total of 5,12,885 surplus animals, a sharp rise of 46.35 percent than its demand, he said. As the supply is sufficient against the demand, the price will come down significantly, he added. “Before Eid-ul-Azha, huge sacrificial animals will be brought to makeshift cattle markets of 10 districts and Khulna city. So, we don’t have any need to import cattle from other countries to meet Khulna’s demand,” he said.

According to the DoLS sources, a total of 16, 19,417 sacrificial animals have been reared locally against the demand of 11, 06,532 which is surplused by 5, 12,885 in ten districts of the division. This year’s sacrificial animals included cow 5,62,344, buffalo 6,654, goat 10,00,047, sheep 49,525, and others 847. A good number of the cattle have been reared in 1, 38,054 farms in ten districts and a lot of people also reared cattle in their homestead, he added. This year’s animal price will be a bit higher due to feed prices, said MM Mizanur Rahman, owner of a farm in Shirgati village in Rupsha upazila.